THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN PARLIAMENTARY POLITICS IN MALAWI
Date
2012-11-14
Authors
Machado, Francis
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Abstract
This is a report on the participation of women in parliamentary politics in
Malawi as told by themselves and stakeholders that are involved in efforts
to bring equal representation to parliamentary politics and decision making
structures.
The study focuses on the parliament of Malawi, in particular, on the
underlying reasons that contribute to the low participation of women in
politics. Malawi is still unable to reach the minimum 30% representation for
women in parliament as propagated by SADC. The underlying assumption
is that women, who are in the majority in Malawi, cannot be left out in
politics which is important in development and the shaping of priorities for
government.
The research uses document analysis and in-depth interviews with current
and previous women members of parliament and stakeholders that are
involved in campaigns that aim at bringing about equal representation in
parliamentary politics .In the research, qualitative methodology is largely
used but there are also instances where quantitative tools are used in the
presentation and analysis of the data.
The major finding is that access to parliament for women is gradually
improving but almost always it is linked to a political party which wins an
election. This rise is therefore fragile and it cannot be sustained if women
are not empowered and do not have leadership positions in political parties
and in parliament. Importantly, political gatekeepers need to be convinced
of the need for equal representation for men and women in politics.
Furthermore, women in parliament alone cannot adequately bring about
changes without the continuous collaboration with women movement
Description
MM thesis - P&DM
Keywords
Women - Malawi, Parliamentarians - Malawi