Poor Representation and Participation of Women In Political Decision-Making Bodies A Challenge To The Church
Date
1999-02-12
Authors
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
The problem of under representation and participation of women at top levels
of political decision-making bodies is a fact nearly everywhere in the world. By
decision-making bodies I mean the government under either an executive president
or prime minister. Other bodies are those such as parliaments, senates, cabinets of
ministers and diplomatic offices. Members of those bodies are the most influential
people in deciding how things should go in their countries and between their
countries and the international community. They represent the rest of the
population, which entrusts them with a responsibility to govern and make decisions
for the interest of all people whom they represent.
When we look at the composition of such bodies, we quickly notice male
predominance and either total or a nearly total absence of women. Decisions made
by those bodies are mainly made from a male perspective with almost no regard for
the interests of women. That is not right, because men and women share equal
dignity and status with equal rights in the societies. When one group is undermined
and excluded from taking part in making decisions which affect it, is that
justifiable?
In many societies, women are denied their natural rights and are subjected
to oppression and exploitation. That kind of relationship has been taken for granted
by both men and women without questioning it. Right from childhood men and women see each other in terms of superior and inferior. Some activities and duties
have been distributed according to gender, even if what has been assigned to one
gender group can be better done by the opposite gender group.
The Word of God challenges us to eliminate all forms of discrimination and
promote justice and equality in all aspects of life. Love was the main theme in the
teaching of Jesus. That is what he ordered his followers to strive for and try to
spread. It is a duty of the church to ensure that the plan of God and the mission of
Christ are fulfilled. It has to ensure that justice is done to each and every human
person in the world. The exclusion of women or their poor participation in decision
making is a justice issue. It goes against the Christian values which the Church
stands for. That calls for measures to be taken to redress the situation. That is why
the title of this work says that "Poor Representation and Participation of Women
in Political Decision-Making Bodies : A Challenge to the Church ". By the
Church I mean especially the Roman Catholic Church, but also all those who call
themselves Christians and believers.
The privilege of doing my theology studies in Kenya made me realise that
Kenyan women are no exception from those of other parts of the world. I followed
the events of the 1997 general elections in which many women took part. However,
quite a few of them won seats in the parliament for instance. I listened to their
complaints, I read comments by political analysts and talked with some voters. All that I learned inspired me to know more about women's concerns. I also attended
a seminar course on the topic at Tangaza College and finally I decided to write my
long essay on it. My experience in Kenyan politics is short but quite rich. Due to
the rich experience I have had, I decided to write my paper with a reference to the
Kenyan reality.
The paper is divided into three main chapters. The first chapter deals with the
analysis of the problem, making a kind of survey. The aim is to find out the
intensity and the extent of the problem around the world and in Kenya in particular.
The question to be asked is, what prevents women from taking part in political
decision-making bodies? We shall also examine whether there is any significance
in having women politicians or not.
Chapter Two will try to make us aware of how the problem poses a challenge
to the Christian faith. It will also show us how God views people and their problems
and what the role of the church is and liturgical celebrations regarding the human
situations.
Chapter Three will try to offer some pastoral suggestions and possible
solutions. An attempt will be made to give suggestions with concrete ways of going
about them. This will be followed by a general conclusion. That will include an
assessment of the situation and highlight some indicators or signs of hope for
solving the problem, hence a brighter future.
Description
Keywords
Women, Church, Political, Kenya, Human dignity, Human Rights