Hillary Clinton,candidate in 2016 presidential elections in USA.........................

Fading are the days when women are treated as second class citizens.We demand equality and equity 

as human rights are God given.We now live in a world where both man and women are equal and deserve equal treatment,be it in the domestic or public sphere.Nobody should ever be allowed to suffer from inferiority complex as everyone should suffer from superiority complex.

'I'm running for president. Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion.' – https://www.hillaryclinton.com ..

All political women should have this kind of spirit if they are to make it big in the political arena.She is indeed an inspiration to all political women in the world.....At her age she is still confident that she can lead America.The  good news  is that  she is  a candidate for the 2016  elections which will be held in America.

Story from Aljazzera

 Clinton had made history with this candidacy as the first spouse of a former president to seek the office. To clarify, she made that history in 2008.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has declared that she is running for president in 2016, seeking to become the first female to occupy the seat that her husband Bill Clinton held for eight years, and setting up what could be the most expensive campaign in history.

Clinton campaign video

Clinton made the announcement on Sunday in a video published on her website, saying "the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top" as she sought to highlight the theme of economic inequality.

It is the second time that Clinton has run for presidency.On Saturday, President Barack Obama, who defeated her in the 2008 Democratic nomination, said Clinton "would be an excellent president".

"She was an outstanding secretary of state. She is my friend. I think she would be an excellent president," Obama said from Panama, where he attended the Summit of the Americas and held a historic meeting with the Cuban leader Raul Castro.

With her first candidacy in 2008, Clinton made history as the first ever spouse of an American president to seek the highest elective office in the US.

Opinion

This shows that women are taking one step at a time in climbing the political ladder .In the past decade there has been less participation of women in politics and there has been few women who have attained the post of presidency.

It would be quite moving if fellow women of America give Clinton their support as this marks progress not  only for herself only but every woman in America.It also would be interesting if she gains support from male politicians, even Barack Obama seems to be supporting her as he says she can make a good president.

And to those who oppose her,especially her male counterparts,its time to embrace change and accept that the status quo will not remain the same.We now live in the 21st century where both males and females are equal and there is no going back.

Domestic violence

'We will deal with that later,'said the MDC-T national organising secretary, Abedinico Bhebhe.

Those are the words that came from one of the male politicians aimed at Thabitha Khumalo who had been stripped naked.We are talking about a woman  who has been a victim of domestic violence from the alleged Zanu PF supporters.Is it because she is a woman that she has to receive attention later as it seems there are things which come first that need more attention than her being a victim of violence, worse this is coming from a fellow member of her party.

It is really absurd if not surprisingly bluffing that male politicians do not want to be united with their female counterparts.We are busy pushing for women rights but to other male politicians the word of equality and equity are swept by the wind or unheard of.

Thabitha Khumalo

In this instance it seems like Khumalo chose to be a victim of this violence she has faced.This shows that there is still a long way for male and female politicians to be united even if they fight for the same cause.To add onto that ,the headline is very subjective  as it denotes that Thabitha undressed herself and it was deliberate.It reads 'Khumalo strips at rally.'

The media is being insensitive and if one can ask why the headline in The Herald was written in this manner,the answer lies in the political economy theory which suggest that he who owns the piper dictates the tune .

We also need to ask ourselves who the media owners are in this country and in most cases they owners are of  the patriarchal society and hence they love keeping the status quo.This shows however that there is a serious problem about the media in general.Women are always portrayed  in bad as compared to their male counterparts.The media is not fair at all in the representation of male and female politicians and something has to be done about it However change is not possible if women themselves do not take a stand and fight for their rights.As long as the patriarchal society runs the world ,including the media, the word women rights is nothing but a cliche.It is just a word that has lost its meaning or we can say a word that never had a meaning.

Political Women Speak Out

In a world widely dominated by men,the drive towards attaining the 50/50 goals towards equality and equity set by the United Nations through its millenium development goals has been one that only a handfull of brave and courageous women have been able to push. This blog got hold of one of the most beautiful and successful political woman in Zimbabwe and she is a Programs Coordinator - UN January 2015 to present · Zimbabwe, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe.

It is always a pleasure and informative to interview young women in the political divide in Zimbabwe. Lets hear what Nomusa Sokhela has to say about her experiences as a political woman.

Nomusa Sokhela

How are political women represented in the media

I believe that women in politics are generally vilified and trivialised due to the stereotypes which epitomizes women in general as weaker and less capable.It is the view of the media which is mostly owned and run by males that women should be treated as second class citizens and they belong to the domestic sphere where they have to take care of their families and homes.

What can be done to deal with such a problem?

An attitude change is the answer but it is not that simple if its a matter of lip service without more emphasis being directed at actual implementation processes.The first thing that must be done is to make women realize that they need to stand together as one in this struggle for equal recognition and participation in politics.That is the first point of order which has been a huge challenge to achieve in the real sense.

What advice can you give to the youth who want to venture into politics?
Get into politics for a worthy cause that would be my advice.

Is there hope for the betterment of women in politics?

There is so much that we could do to better our lives and the lives of others as women leaders because we are naturally more sensitive and cognizant of the real bread and butter issues.So many times women are automatically disqualified from positions of leadership due to being viewed as the weaker sex but that automatically cuts overall societal development as the capacity and potential these women have, seldom gets fully harnessed.

As such politics is a difficult field for one to claim space as a woman,where no matter what your accolades and contributions are, can never be fully appreciated since it is a space predominantly with rules that favor men and are designed by men.

ln my time l have lived to hear a lot of senior women leaders in politics who have spoken of the stigmatization of women in politics,You are seen as an uncultured woman with less morals than your fellow sisters outside of politics.

The other challenge is general lack of support, trust and inadequate united efforts by all women in politics to tackle the challenges faced with a uniform and united front irregardless of party affiliation.A failure in this front has maintained the status quo of women just being placed in positions for symbolic reasons.

l personally have coped as l said as a result of my convictions and beliefs in that what l stand for is worth the sacrifice.

My passion is to see the lives of women such as myself improve and change for the better.So no matter where l am required to serve l will do so to the best of my potential because l stand for and identify with the interests of the collective.

Angela Merkel

Angel Merkel -

Merkel entered politics after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. Rising to the position of Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union party, Merkel became Germany's first female chancellor, and one of the leading figures of the European Union, following the 2005 national elections.
Maureen Orth-who wrote about the biography of Merkel says:
She came as an outsider and she stayed an outsider,” Ines Pohl, editor of the Berlin alternative daily, Die Tageszeitung, commonly known as Taz said. “She’s spooky, because how can she manage all these things? She’s not really a woman you can love—admire and be proud of, yes. But you always feel her killer instinct.”
“She governs by silence,” says Dirk Kurbjuweit of Der Spiegel, who wrote a 2009 biography of Merkel. “It’s her biggest advantage and disadvantage. She never says something fast. She waits and waits to see where the train is going and then she jumps on the train. Part of this she learned in the G.D.R. [Communist East Germany]. She knew she had to watch her words—there’s nobody better at [vague] words than Angela Merkel.”

Angela Merkel is a German politician best known as the first female chancellor of Germany and one of the architects of the European Union.

After nine years of her rule, however, many Germans still see her as from the East, not really one of them. They understand that as Merkel plays an ever enlarging role in the world—going head-to-head with Putin, charming China, exasperating and infuriating her European Union partners with her unyielding demands—she, who wants nothing to do with being seen as a “female” leader, has become The Man striding across the global stage. But, even so, Germans seem puzzled by Angela Merkel.

She is often referred to as the world’s most powerful woman, although those in Merkel’s immediate circle will fix you with looks of utter disdain for even bringing up such a concept. “That’s done for media lists—it has no meaning,” an official told her. In fact, 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germans instinctively recoil at the idea of being powerful because that presumes responsibility on global scale that they do not yet seem ready to take.

ANALYSIS

All of this shows us that she is one of the most influential women leaders of the world when looking at all the things that she has achieved,rising to be the first woman to be a German Chancelor .She has proved to be an  Amazon woman and a woman of power .She has also proved to be an independent woman who knows her game in politics and has even been labelled a 'man' to show that her rule can be compared to that of a man.She saves as an inspiration to women in the world of politics as she has proved that women can also rule as men do.She regards herself as an equal to all the men as she does not want to be seen as a 'female' leader but just a leader like all male leaders.

First Lady On The Rise

How about a round of applause for the first lady Grace Mugabe as she is still  climbing the political ladder......

Reports are saying she is set to take the parliamentary seat Tendai Biti who has been labelled the ''MDC rebel'. 

This is a life time  opportunity for Grace tor take a stand and be a leader in politics.As far as gender issues are concerned, there seems to be progress in the enlightenment of women who are in politics.This is an interesting move by the first Lady  who has never been in politics.Even the Godfrey Gomwe-led provincial youth wing — are eager to please the First Family having already started moves to usher Grace in.It is promising that she is going to receive great and amazing support from the youth who are uprooting for her and also are pushing for the leadership that includes women. I can also argue that leadership without women is not leadership because for development to take place both participation of men and women is required.

This comes amid predictions by analysts that the MDC-T dominance in urban seats was under threat as Zanu PF was working on grabbing the opposition seats following the recent dismissal from Parliament of 21 MDC Renewal.

Grace, who is the party’s Secretary for Women’s League, was now reportedly ready to become the Minister of Women’s Affairs, currently vacant after Oppah Muchinguri was moved to the Higher Education portfolio.This shows that there is optimism of grace that women are making progresss as they take it step by step .Very soon we will be having many women in positions of power.

First Lady Grace Mugabe

Grace’s candidature, insiders say, cannot be ruled out as speculation has been high since December that she would join her husband’s cabinet after her ascension into the politburo. However, her handicap has been her lack of a parliamentary seat which is a pre-requisite for one to be a minister under the Constitution.

Grace was last year endorsed as Zanu PF Women’s League boss after she was reportedly approached by the then outgoing Muchinguri executive and war collaborators.  Grace herself,  engineered her political rise which coincided with the fall of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru.

Other seats to be contested include Harare East, Kambuzuma, Kuwadzana, Glen View South, Dzivarasekwa and Highfield West.It would also be great to see women contesting for all these seats as they have to prove a point that they refuse to be brainwashed by the norms and values of the patriarchal society .In addition it will show that they refuse to be treated as second class citizens.

Gender and Development

SADC Logo 2015

Women the world over are being prevented from engaging in politics. Women's political leadership of any sort is a rarity and a career in politics rarer still.In order to make the best use of potentials for women’s employment it is necessary to stimulate women’s self-employment.

In recent decades the presence of women in public life has grown, whether in politics, in the workforce, or in the migrant streams that cross international borders. At the same time, the intensive engagement of activists and researchers with the development establishment has turned "gender" into a legitimate policy issue for institutions and movements operating at different levels. Yet gender inequalities in power continue to be a persistent and integral feature of the modern world and its institutions - whether markets and macroeconomic flows; states, political parties and social movements; or the intimate sphere of family, household and community. 

Transformative agendas of social change are constrained not only by the continued dominance of market orthodoxy in some important arenas of policy making, but also by shifts in geopolitics, and new forms of religious and cultural politics that are being played out at global, national and sub-national levels.

For the new research phase, the following thematic areas have been identified:

• Labour Market Informality, Social Policy and Gender 
• Gender-egalitarian Policy Change: States and Women's Claims-making
• Political and Social Economy of Care
•  Religion, Politics and Gender Equality

 
 Feminism is not all about furthering the equal involvement of men and women at home and work but simply about giving women the right to choose between pursuing a career and devoting themselves to full-time motherhood. A new emphasis on intensive mothering and attachment parenting helped justify the latter choice. Today the main barriers to further progress toward gender equity no longer lie in people’s personal attitudes and relationships. Instead, structural impediments prevent people from acting on their egalitarian values, forcing men and women into personal accommodations and rationalizations that do not reflect their preferences. The gender revolution is not in a stall as it  has hit a wall.

Black Women in Politics

Last year the Center for American Women and Politics and Higher Heights joined forces to produce and distribute "The Status of Black Women in American Politics," a report on black women's representation at all levels of government. The report makes clear that the rise in Black women officeholders is a rather recent history, with the most significant gains occurring over the past four decades.

 The numbers of Black women elected to date are stark and small relative to Black men and all women. However, interpreted differently, these data exemplify the opportunity for Black women to identify, expand, and capitalize upon electoral opportunities. Thus, when it comes to Black women's political representation, we have much history left to make.

What history did Black women make in the 2014 elections? And what is the status of Black women in American politics today?

Shirley Chishom, first black woman to be elected to Congress

 The rise in Black women office holders is a rather recent history, with the most significant gains occurring over the past four decades. The numbers of Black women elected to date are stark and small relative to Black men and all women. However, interpreted differently, these data exemplify the opportunity for Black women to identify, expand,and capitalize upon electoral opportunities.

 Congress

Eighteen Black women (17 Democrats and one Republican) serve in the 114th Congress, four more than served before Election Day 2014. Another two Black women serve as delegates from Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands, respectively. Alma Adams (D-North Carolina) became the 100th woman in Congress upon her special election to fill a vacant seat for the remainder of the 113th Congress. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-New Jersey) and Mia Love (R-Utah) both became the first Black women to represent their states in Congress (ever!) in January 2015. Love also made history as the first Black Republican woman to serve in Congress. Two other newcomers, Brenda Lawrence (D-Michigan) and Stacey Plaskett (Delegate, D-Virginia) joined the freshman class of Black congresswomen this year. In fact, Black women are one third of the new women elected to the 114th Congress.

Black women's congressional representation increased in both number and proportion by every measure from 2014 to 2015. Black women are 21.4 percent of all women in the U.S. House in 2015, up from 17.7 percent of women in the fall of 2014. They also represent 9.6 percent of the Democratic Caucus, up from 7 percent before Election Day 2014. Still, Black women are only 4.1 percent of all members of the House in 2015 (up from 3.2 percent in 2014), despite being nearly 7 percent of the population. 

There remain opportunities for Black women to make congressional history in 2015. Only 35 Black women have ever served in Congress, 11.4 percent of the 307 women who have served as representatives or senators to date. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Illinois) remains the only Black woman to ever hold a U.S. Senate seat. Finally, even including the Black women newly elected in 2014, 35 states have yet to send a Black woman to Congress.