Wednesday, 25 January 2012

Women's Role in Democracy

Democracy is defined as “a type of government where the power is vested in the people.” “The people”being, of course, the population of the country or area which is being governed. Women make up approximately half of the world's population and 53% of the population in the western world. It seems straight-forward then that to truly have a government that is representative of and fills the needs of, all the people, women need to be present and active in each of its levels or the country cannot reach its true potential as a nation.

            That’s a lot of words that don’t necessarily mean a lot but essentially what the world is built upon is ideas. Especially in our current times where technology is constantly evolving and the economy is shifting to incorporate our changing values for the environment and solving poverty, the new ideas are saving us from making our lifestyle obsolete. Countries are relying on their younger generations to provide the insight to solve their world’s problems and keep the economy afloat, so what then is the point in only tapping half of the population? Just as Craig and Mark Keilburger describe in their book “Global Voices” women have ideas but gender discriminations get in the way of making those accessible and it is only though true application of democracy where women’s voices are allowed to be heard that these ideas can be used to move nations forward and keep our earth sustainable for our species.

            Women in history have proven the importance of their role time and time again. One of my personal heroes, Nellie McClung, is a perfect example. In her lifetime she was a one-room school teacher, a speaker, a journalist, a novelist, and a politician. She was a leader of the Christian Temperance Union and one of the Famous Five who proved through a court-case that women could be judges, senators and politicians on all levels of the government. What she was able to provide was a viewpoint that had never been so openly spoken about before. She knew the effects that alcohol had on families and talked freely about domestic abuse and gave the people some concrete information to stand behind which allowed them to campaign for safety in their homes. Later women have followed her example, taking up the unspoken causes like unequal job wages and working conditions and the right of maternity leave. These aspects better society by making it fair for all its members which in turn makes for a long-lasting and productive economy.

            Women’s role in democracy is the same as any other group, except even more so because of the number and diversity of its members. They provide a different view point and give voice to thoughts and opinions and ideas that might not otherwise be presented, and add substance and detail to those already on the table. They also provide a larger pond, so to speak, to pick ideas from that will better individual countries and the world at large.  Essentially, they make democracy work because they are half of the democracy and their contributions to the governing structure help keep citizens well represented and happy with their country.



References:
Kielburger, Craig, and Marc Kielburger. Global Voices, the Compilation: Volume 1. Greystone Books , 2010.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/democracy.
The Part of Dana's Mind That Knows A Lot About Nellie McClung Without Having To Do Any Extra Research

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