Article/ Feature
16/October/2010
Women in Politics: Still Bargaining with Patriarchy or Inferiority?
By: Clarence KIPOBOTA (Advocate)*
The struggle of women in politics continues all over the world. It is part of the feminist movement which gains momentum every day.
In Tanzania, women, as fighters of their own destine, have to do more than political move because socio-economic setbacks still hurdle them to stir forward. Therefore it is a war within a war. But, political move seems to be a bullet with multiple effects because it has to do with governance and ladder to powers. Hence, a say in decision making processes.
But the setbacks are vivid and long overdue towards lasting solution. For instance, several studies conclude that, women are victims of gender based violence and discrimination, facts which hinder them to access education, health services, information and of course political positions.
It is all because of classic patriarchy which makes them inferior. Moreover, it’s the same manifestation of inferior which empowers men to exercise patriarchy patterns. Which one is a real enemy between the two?
Moreover, it is discrimination which causes vast poverty and suffering to women, hence brakes on development. This adds more hardship into their involvement in politics and that is, cannot access potential and prospective voters because they are poor.
It is very unfortunate that, the current political trend increasingly sidelining the poor as they cannot pay for the nomination forms, finance media, campaign materials and petrol to move around in order to tell the voters that despite the fact that they are women, still can rule the country, at least from local levels. It is the economic factor which piles up more issues to embark upon as we negotiate a way towards women emancipation and empowerment.
To understand where we are in terms of women’s rights in governance, it is important to look at the history. Not long before 20 century when women came out openly to demand for political rights. The focus was by then to have the right to vote – not necessarily to be voted to because that was a far reach dream by then.
This was within a large package of feminist movement all over the world as said above. For instance, in 1919 a deputation from the Women’s India Association met the British viceroy (representative of queen) to demand votes for Indian women at around same time that suffragists were struggling for women’s right to vote in Britain and the United States of America. By then, most of African women did not even think of all these. They were in a darkness of real enslavement of their own destiny. It was almost not possible to single out their voices.
But now, improvements are seen. For instance in Tanzania, few women are coming out bravely to contest men in constituencies. They win and entrusted with senior positions in politics.
At this point though, the challenges still outweigh the successes. To uproot the illusions of backwardness has not been simple job. Thus women still feel inferior to fight for powers.
Moreover, the dominance of male in politics has manipulated not only the traditions, but also the religious cultures and its teaching. In this way, a fear to come out for political contest is magnified. Therefore, they fight against patriarchy and inferiority complex at the same time. The war is so stiff.
The legal protection, aimed at providing affirmative measures begun in 1940s. For instance, in 1948 the United Nations (UN) adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Few years later, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966 was adopted and Tanzania ratified it in 1976. Before that, in 1952 the UN had adopted another instrument called the Convention on the Political Rights of Women. In 1979 the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was also adopted.
The 1952’s convention and the CEDAW call for the right of the women to hold public office and exercise all public functions without discrimination. Following the 14th Constitution amendment in 2005, the minimum number of special seats for women was increased from 15 to 30 percent.
Moreover, some of the policies and strategies have been adopted including the National Strategy for Gender Development of September 2005. But they do not adequately address the challenges of patriarchy and inferiority. Therefore, women’s war against these is not well backed.
Apart from this challenge, women have to bear the blames as well for failing to stage properly their advocacy agenda. Most of the CSOs in Tanzania, which advocate for women’s rights intentionally, exclude the counterparts (men) from the platform. Even the leadership of their ‘gender agenda’ is exclusively for women. Now, how can you fight with a distant enemy?
There is also an allegation that, women themselves to not support each other. In 2005 Ms. Anna Claudia Senkoro who tried her luck to contest for presidential position through PPT-Maendeleo, was heard lamenting that, none of the women rights groups did even state a word to congratulate her for picking nomination forms. She ultimately received only 0.17% (18,741) of votes while majority of voters in Tanzania are women.
As for the affirmative measure taken of widening the scope of minimum seats for women, my observation is that, even the number could have been raised to 50 percent, still could not had justified any reason to celebrate for victory. Because, good number of women are not able to leave domestic chores for political podium and polling booth. They are inferior, voiceless and may be, as said above, not supporting each other.
Few of them in powers are not yet subscribed to the wish of their colleagues in the villages. They are sent in the parliament as special members for women but betraying the unlucky fellows by remaining mute throughout the sessions.
They cannot even speak of simple and vivid facts of girls pregnancies, drop outs, early marriage, female genital mutilations, gender based violence, unrecorded economic burden on shoulder of their colleagues and so many other issues. Something somewhere is wrong. It could be the way these representatives of special seats are obtained. More research on this should be conducted.
The emphasis point here is that, women’s rights in politics should be more than giving political offices. What matters should not be quantity but quality. This is the point that most of the activists normally miss.
The best approach of enhancing women’s rights and powers in politics should be the advocacy on the fact that, they are part of the composition of what makes Tanzania. Therefore, men have to accept and women have to fight. Much as special seats boost the balance between the two sides, more focus should be on emancipation of mental slavery than looking more pigeon holes to favour women.
This is important because too much favour is in itself discrimination. In fact, only one person can overpower hundreds of others if they are not capacitated. Indeed, it is not useful to create hundreds of special seats for women who do not utter even a single word. It is wastage of resources unless it is for pleasing the donors.
The programmes or measures should focus on capacitating women in governance as well as creating legal and policy frameworks in which everyone in Tanzania will be obliged to be gender sensitive.
If this begins from lower level of education, then we will have qualified women who can contest for themselves. That is, not to give them fish but to give them skills on how to fish.
Other components within said frameworks could be ensuring that, all capable women are given same rights in political parties including minimum number of leaders in each of the registered political party.
It is also important to have a special limit that, a special seat member of parliament should not serve for more than five years in order to give others opportunity to excel in politics. Moreover, women should have the rights to ask a special seat member of the parliament to step down at anytime if that member remain dull for certain period of time. Again, this is why the right of women in politics should not be a mere holding of an office through certain affirmative measures.
As this country goes for general elections this month, I urge the people to vote for women with necessary qualifications but not to discriminate them because they are women. I believe they can do wonders if given opportunity. We have already good examples of very bold and active constituency women members such as Mama Anna Kilango Malecela. But, the end of elections should be the beginning of searching long-lasting solutions of what stated above. Each one of us can take his or her part.
* Clarence KIPOBOTA holds Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B (Hons)), Masters of Community Economic Development (Msc. CED) and Certificates in Human Rights and UN Treaty Monitoring Bodies. He is an Advocate of the High Court of Tanzania, currently working as Legal Consultant with LEGAL AND DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS LIMITED (LEDECO). He is also Human Rights Activist. Email: kipobota@yahoo.com Tel: +255 762776281/ +255 222700695.
