Bridging Gender Gaps to Intensify Women’s Political Representation: Analysis of Risks

Abstract

The World Economic Forum initially presented the Global Gender Gap Index in 2006 to assess advancements toward gender equality and evaluate countries' gender disparities across four aspects: economic participation, educational attainment, health outcomes, and political representation. Since then, most countries across the globe have performed relatively well in relation to the first three dimensions towards reducing gender discrepancies. Unfortunately, there is a sluggish pace in bridging gender gaps to allow for women’s participation in the political spectrum. Various efforts have been made to identify challenges and barriers that keep women out of key political decision-making roles. The specific issue of concern is that while the previous research has successfully identified barriers and challenges that prevent women from participating in politics, there is limited research that highlights potential risks associated with women’s participation in politics. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the potential risks associated with women’s political participation. By understanding the risks involved in political participation, the paper intends to identify potential threats, analysing their likelihood and severity, and determine the necessary measures to mitigate those risks. To achieve the aim of this paper, a conceptual review of literature was conducted to highlight key themes that relate to risks associated with women’s political participation. Specifically, scholarly peer reviewed articles and non-scholarly documents such as reports by governmental and non-governmental organizations were reviewed. The paper highlights the following key findings: women participating in politics are likely to be prejudiced. In that regard, evidence suggest that women participating in politics tend to be harshly judged in terms of their performance as opposed to their male counterparts. While political violence has consistently affected both men and women in the political realm, this finding indicates that women who intend to venture into the political arena should be psychologically and mentally prepares to deal with any form of political violence. Political assassination is one of the forms of political violence which may be experienced by those who participate in politics. Sexual harassment has been identified as one of the potential risks that women are like to face once the enter political space. To mitigate against the potential risks that women are likely face in politics, it is imperative that both national and international organisations should draft comprehensive plans to educate the society on how to eschew unjustifiable prejudice against female politicians. At the same time, effective measures should be drafted and implemented to curb political killings, which can dissuade women from participating in politics. In essence, addressing risks associated with political participation can positively contribute towards reduction of gender gap in political representation across the globe.