22 Nov 2020

There is need for concerted efforts and concrete actions to change the status quo on women representation in politics, an official from Department of Gender Affairs has said. 

Giving an address on Women’s political participation during a  for media practitioners held in Gaborone recently, Ms Rona Malema said the under-representation of women in politics occurred despite the country’s commitment to international, regional and national instruments that advocated for gender equality and women’s equal representation in all spheres of life including in politics.

She highlighted that the percentage of women in elected office was still well below the 30 percent critical mass representation which was far from the globally recommended target of 50/50 gender balance.  

“Currently, the representation of women in politics in the country stands at 11 per cent of women in Parliament, 22.2 per cent in Cabinet and 18 per cent in local government,” explained Ms Malema.

Also, emphasising the importance of women’s representation in the political sphere, Ms Malema said aspects such as women’s perspectives and experiences, enriched governance, making it more responsive to the needs of the country’s citizenry.

Ms Malema also indicated that the playing field needed to be leveled and the media had the capacity to open opportunities for women to participate on a smoothed field. 

“My hope is that by the end of this dialogue, you will be equipped with a better understanding of developing and producing media reports related to issues in the media in an ethical, unbiased and professional and mostly importantly gender sensitive manner,” she concluded. ends