Paving the way for women in the political arena is an investment in more just, equitable, and peaceful societies By Ayodele Oluwatosimisin Esther

Agency ReporterApril 1, 2022

3 minutes read

Women have a right to engage in civil society, vote in elections, be elected to government office, serve on boards, and make their voices heard in any process that will ultimately affect them, their families, and their communities. Investing in women’s right to political participation is a necessary step to achieving global gender equality and democratic governance.

Women are not a minority; they are half of the world’s population. For political institutions to be democratically legitimate and responsive to all citizens, they must be inclusive of the plurality of groups that exist within the population. This requires greater representation of women in national parliaments and broader diversity

.The under-representation of women constitutes a serious democratic deficit, which undermines the legitimacy of the contemporary democratic ideal

Women’s political participation results in tangible gains for democracy, including greater responsiveness to citizen needs, increased cooperation across party and ethnic lines, and more sustainable peace.

Gone are the days when women are underrepresented as voters, as well as in leading positions, whether in elected office, the civil service, the private sector or academia. This occurs despite their proven abilities as leaders and agents of change, and their right to participate equally in democratic governance.

Again, Women face several obstacles to participating in political life. Structural barriers through discriminatory laws and institutions still limit women’s options to run for office. Capacity gaps mean women are less likely than men to have the education, contacts and resources needed to become effective leaders.

As an adage would say (what a man can do, a woman can do better)

HON. (Mrs) Ogun Funmilayo Theresa, a former Special Assistant on women empowerment and widows matter, before she later became the Commissioner for Works and Transportation in Ekiti, has stood up to pave the way for her gender in the political arena as she realised the contribution of women in a society’s smooth transition from preliterate to literate, from a relatively autonomous community to a member of a nation enmeshed in a world economy, has received too little attention from social scientists and policymakers. With this, she spawns her intention towards becoming part of the policymakers in her constituency @House of representatives (Ekiti North Federal Constituency 2).

She believes that:

We all preach the virtues of democracy abroad then it is a must to practice our duties here at home without gender discrimination
She believes that: “It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs.”
She also realises that a politician is a fellow who will lay down his life for his country.” Mrs Ogun has decided to lay down all it’s takes to ensure that women have the right to engage in civil society
She said and I quote “We must try again to be alive to what the people of our country long for in our national life:
To her, Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, and the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.”
She believes that young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society’s margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies.” lastly she said

7 Ideas are great arrows, but there has to be a bow. And politics is the bow of idealism but women are not exceptional

With this, we can see that she is not a novice in politics and she is a sensational woman in generosity, she is capable of handling the seat in the house of representatives(Ekiti North Federal Constituency 2)

Only your vote matters.