In politics today, especially in elected positions, women are gradually taking centre stage. As major African countries conduct their general elections this year and the US prepares for its 2020 presidential polls, more women across the world are coming on the scene, improving representation and making the case for a more balanced government.
The year 2018 was one of many firsts for women in politics. From the massive victory recorded in the US congress, where over 400 women ran for a seat in the American congress, to the steps being taken by African countries like Rwanda and Ethiopia aimed at achieving gender parity in various levels of government.
While major setbacks have been recorded, they have not marred the achievements of women in politics so far. Here are 3 significant ways women have shown they are a force to be reckoned with in world politics:
Pink Wave in the US as women win big in 2018 midterms
History was made on Tuesday November 6 at the end of the 2018 US midterms, where women won more seats in congress than ever before.
Ten women won in the upper chamber, while 92 won in the lower chamber, joining previously elected female senators to reach a total of 112 women, the most to ever serve in congress at the same time.
Diversity did not just stop at the inclusion of women, as the women elected into congress featured a lot of firsts too. Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids, became the first Native American women elected into congress; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made headlines as the youngest member of congress; while Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar became the first Muslim women to secure seats in the State House.
Ethiopia Gets First Female President
October 2018 ushered in a new era for the people of Ethiopia, as Sahle-Work Zewde joined former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in chipping away the glass ceiling for African women in politics. This particular feat follows her election as the first female president of Ethiopia.
While the title is ceremonial, as the country is led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, it is still of major importance in the fight for equality in politics, as Zewde joins Namibia’s Prime Minister, Saara Kuugongelwa-Ahmadhila, as the only current female heads of state in Africa.
Zewde was the first woman appointed to head the United Nations Office to the Africa Union, and has served as the Ethiopian ambassador to Senegal, France and the United Nations.
Her tenure is expected to last for six years.
Mexico, San Francisco and Gambia Record First Female Mayors
New strides were made in Mexico with the election of local scientist and politician, Claudia Sheinbaum, who became the first female mayor in the country.
Although Mexico had an interim female mayor in 1999, Sheinbaum (who won with 55.5 percent of the total vote) is the first elected female mayor in the North American country.
Likewise, San Francisco and Gambia also ushered in a new wave of firsts, with the former’s London Breed, becoming the first black female Mayor of the US state, while the Gambia’s capital of Banjul, elected Rohey Malick Lowe to be its first female mayor.
Gender Parity in Mexico, Ethiopia and Rwanda
Last year, the parliamentary elections in Mexico helped push it up from 9th to 4th place in the world ranking of women in parliament, with 246 women (48.6 percent) working in its Chamber of Deputies, and 65 women (50.78 percent) in its Senate.
African countries, Ethiopia and Rwanda, have recently joined their foreign counterparts in the fight for gender parity, with Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed appointing 10 female ministers in his 20-man cabinet, and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame following suit.
