The Cost of Women In Leadership

 



More women are publicly defending their rights thanks to growing online feminist movement like #MeToo and improved gender representation in politics. But this has led to a backlash against women's rights, with prominent women bearing the brunt of it.

More women than ever hold elected positions. As of December 2022, there are 30 women serving as elected heads of state or leaders of government, making up 26.4% of all legislators worldwide.

However, the UN Women organization estimates that if things continue as they are, it will take 130 years to achieve gender equality in the highest levels of authority. The direction of travel is up. Slow is the rate of development.

This poses a problem. Women's participation in politics has been fought for, but those who are setting the example seem to be paying a costly price. Despite the fact that there are more women than ever in positions of power and influence, these women nonetheless frequently experience violence and abuse aimed at them, ranging from sexist and misogynistic remarks about their appearance to threats of rape and death to actual attack. Men do not experience this abuse to the same degree as women.

A gender system with well defined roles, obligations, and norms for men and women is reinforced by violence against women. Those who don't fit within them are penalized and made to conform. In order to "show them their place in society," women who challenge the notion that politics and the public sphere are a "man's world" are targeted, and this has repercussions.


https://theconversation.com/women-politicians-pay-too-high-a-personal-cost-for-their-leadership-201028

Comments

  1. Iris Ruby RichardsonApril 25, 2023 at 8:46 PM

    I am glad to see more women speaking up, but I do not like that it is being turned back against. I love seeing more women come into power. There was a time where this did not seem possible. I can not believe that it would take over a century for it to apply at higher levels. Women have been working hard for decades to get here and they are being attacked for their hardwork. It is scary to realize that some men do not want women in charge and will harass them until they step down. They need to realize that this "man's world" is going to change for better. Men will never know how hard it is to be a woman.

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