Want gender parity in politics? Here are 8 ways to support women politicians.
Apolitical Foundation
Restoring hope in political leadership when we need it most.
We’re grateful for the brave women politicians putting their names, faces and lives in the public eye to serve their communities. Being a politician is a tough job generally, but women face more and different challenges. More and sexualized online violence, sexist public and media scrutiny, and fewer resources make the cost of going into politics too high for many women. This “rational non-candidacy” is bad for us all. The job of being a politician must become more attractive and possible for women from various backgrounds.
Women have successfully run cities, states and countries. Yet at the current rate of progress, we won’t see gender parity in national legislative bodies until 2063 and gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for another 130 years.
These figures can be daunting, but there ARE things you can do to help more women get into office and support them to serve well once elected. We’ve compiled eight options to get you started!
1. Volunteer for and support their campaigns.
Women are being driven out of politics at alarming rates due to harassment, a lack of resources, smaller political networks and more. You can help offset some of the struggle of getting into office by:
Volunteering for the campaigns of women political leaders that you are inspired by. Their office will tell you how you can help, but your tasks may include putting up posters, handing out flyers at polling booths etc.
Support their campaigns with resources. Financial support is important but you can also provide material assistance by donating a venue, catering etc. Women politicians tend to be less resourced.
2. Show them your appreciation.
Women politicians receive more online and physical hate than male politicians. We can be an army of love and kindness fighting against the hate. Supportive messages have been proven to help people’s mental wellbeing and resilience. We created a template for writing a “love letter” to a politician. And check out this initiative training volunteers to push back against online hate directed at women and funded by powerful men in Slovenia.
3. Join a party and push for change.
Many parties have disproportionately fewer women as members and thus unequal representation in internal discussions and decision-making processes. A great way to support women politicians is to join a party and push for changes to structures that hinder gender equity. By joining a party, you can also influence the party’s stance on gendered policy matters.
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4. Be a conscious digital citizen.
Online violence pushes women out of politics. Ninety-three per cent of women MPs in the UK say they’ve been negatively impacted by online harassment. We can all do better and contribute to make the internet a less toxic and violent space by:
5. Listen, learn and don’t assume.
The job of a politician is harder than ever before. We’re not going to get the great leaders we need if the job remains unattractive. You can help change what it means to be a woman politician by informing yourself about the day-to-day realities of the role and what you can do to change it in your local context. Our report on the mental wellbeing of politicians and Women Political Leaders’ Representation Matters report could be good starting points. Together, we can make being a politician something more women want to do.
6. Support organizations helping women politicians.
There’s a growing international movement of political leadership entrepreneurs supporting the renewal of political leadership. Many of them exclusively focus on supporting women to enter and thrive in politics. These important and innovative programs are often run with small teams and budgets. You can support them by checking out their websites, sharing their social media posts and donating. The almost 80 member organizations of the Political Leadership Entrepreneur Network, which is convened by the Apolitical Foundation, are listed here.
7. Call out sexism and double standards in media.
Women in politics are scrutinized for parts of their private lives and appearances in ways men are not. You can critically engage with media discussing women’s bodies, their families or their qualities in traditional roles. Many countries have a press council to which media consumers can make complaints about coverage.
8. Stand up for women generally.
Do what you can to level the playing field for girls and women in all areas for life. Options include talking to your family and friends about why this matters, joining community women’s groups, attending demonstrations, signing petitions, creating support networks in your profession, faith community, town etc.
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