Powerful Women In Politics - Essay Example

Powerful Women In Politics Introduction The political participation of women has been a controversial issue in the past. Most countries did not grant women voting rights and chance to participate in politics and leadership. Today, this has changed, as women are encouraged to participate in politics (Stokes 2005, p. 29). The level of political participation of women remains low, even though law allows them political participation (UNDP 2011: Hatman 1999, p. 48). The low number of women in the political sphere is evidence of women under-representation (Lawless & Fox 2012). In the USA, men account for 83.4% of the Congress, while women account for only 16.6%. Similarly, Britain registers an even lower representation of women in politics (PressTVGlobalNews 2011). In July 2006, UNICEF showed that globally, women held only 17% of the parliamentary seats, and only seven presidential positions (UNICEF 2007). According to Anne, Deckman, and Swers (2011, p. 217), political under-representation of women is not blamed on legal restrictions, but on the bias of voters and parties, which favor the men. Despite women’s political under-representation, some women have risen in politics, with impeccable performance, which is responsible for their influence at their national and global level. This essay focuses on some of the world’s most powerful women in politics today, and their influence. Body A list developed by the Forbes Magazine in 2011 ranked some of the powerful women in the world today, depending on how much influence they have. This list included female politicians considered powerful. Among all the women politicians, the influence and power of Angela Merkel in world politics supercedes the others. Her influence and power is manifest in the fact that she is responsible for Germany, which is among the world’s largest economy, as well as the European Union economy (Goudreau 2011, para. 2). Merkel is the first woman to hold the position of a chancellor in Germany, apart from being the head of her political party, the Christian Democratic Union party. She has held this political office in Germany since 2005, and re-elected in 2009. Merkel is also responsible for overseeing the operations of the Eurozone, ensuring stability, and unification of the members, as well as overseeing operations of the European Union. This makes Germany the only country among the top world largest economies to be headed by a female (Gedmin 2013). The USA secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is ranked among the top world’s powerful female politician, because of her political position, achievements, and influence in the world politics. She holds the fourth position after the president of the U.S.A and serves as a world ambassador of the world’s largest economy. Hillary Clinton is among the few women in the U.S.A. who have attempted to run for presidency in the country. She is popular in the U.S.A and across the globe for advocating for women issues and education, as well as development, which are among the top interests and policies of the U.S.A (Goudreau 2011). The first female president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, is among world’s powerful female politicians, given her political influence. Previously, she served as the Minister for Energy and Chief of Staff, where she made a big achievement, saving 24 million people in the country from utter poverty. Today, she is faced with a larger responsibility ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, which are to be hosted by Brazil (Goudreau 2011). Although Rousseff owns her success to the former Brazilian president, most analysts have credited her for economic reforms in the country, especially her concern for low-income families (Torregrosa 2010). On the other hand, Michelle Bachelet, the first female president of Chile is popular for advocating for women rights, thus, breaking down the barrier for females in the country. She was given the responsibility of heading the UN agency of UN Women, because of her concern and advocacy for women issues (Torregrosa 2010). Similarly, Cristina Fernandez, the president of Argentina is a powerful today. In Argentina, Cristina is popular for advocating for gay rights, including same-sex marriage. She is an assertive and out-spoken president, known for criticizing and pushing for reforms in the International Monetary Fund. In addition, she is credited with developing economic policies in her country, including financial ties between her country and other countries, thus, boosting the economy (Torregrosa 2010). Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the 24th president of Liberia, has immense influence in her country, especially considering the fact that she is a female president in an African country. She is popular for winning the Nobel Prize for peace and Goodwill Ambassador for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in the African continent (Forbes 2012). She has also spearheaded different reforms in Liberia, including economic reforms. Similarly, being the first female president of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchillla is an influential woman in the politics of her country. Before ascending to the position of presidency, Chinchilla served as the vice president, and previously as the Minister of Justice in her country. However, her government has faced various economic blows, making her less popular, compared to other female politicians (Forbes 2012). There are other many influential female politicians in the world, apart from those mentioned. These include leaders of political parties, such as Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Indian National Congress Party. Women have taken on the executive position of Prime Minister in their countries, and such include Julia Gillard, the Prime Minister of Australia, and Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand. Most female leaders in politics have proved their capability of good leadership (Gatrell 2008, p. 86). Conclusion Few women participate in politics today compared to men. Nonetheless, these are a proof that women too have the potential for leadership. All the female politicians holding reputable positions in their governments are evidence that women are capable of leadership. Most of these female politicians have performed impeccably in their roles, through their power of skilled decision-making. This signifies that, if voters and political parties were not biased against women, more women in politics would possibly lead to more positive changes in their countries. Works Cited Anne, J., Deckman, M. & Swers, M 2011, Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence, 2nd edn, Longman, New York. (book) Forbes 2012, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Retrieved 29 March 2013, (website) Gatrell, C 2008, Embodying Women's Work, McGraw-Hill International, London. (book) Gedmin, J 2013, ‘Gedmin: Angela Merkel is the most powerful woman in the world’, Newsday, 28 March, Retrieved 29 March 2013, (website) Goudreau, J 2011, ‘World’s Most Powerful Women in Politics’, Forbes, 29 August, Retrieved 29 March 2013, (website) Hatman, M 1999, Talking Leadership: Conversations With Powerful Women, Rutgers University Press, New York. (book) Lawless, J, & Fox, R 2012, Men Rule: The Continued Under-Representation of Women in the U.S. Politics, Women & Political Leadership, School of Public Affairs, Retrieved 29 March 2013, < http://www.american.edu/spa/wpi/upload/2012-Men-Rule-Report-web.pdf> (internet resource, pdf) Stokes, W 2005, Women in Contemporary Politics, Polity, London. (book) Torregrosa, L 2010, A Woman Rises in Brazil, New York Times, 28 September, Retrieved 29 March 2013, (website) UNDP 2011, Press Release, UN, New York. (book) UNICEF 2007, The State of the World's Children: Women and Children: The Double Dividend of Gender Equality. UN, New York. (book) Women in Politics – Women’s World-11-16-2011 2011, YouTube, PressTVGlobalNews, 16 November, Retrieved 29 March 2013, < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gYjSxODCg> (YouTube video) Read More