Why representation in government matters — Assembly

Young women from New Zealand, the UAE and the U.S. reflect on why it’s important to see themselves represented in politics.

On November 7, 2020, 17-year-old Anika Mukker watched in awe as Kamala Harris, a state senator from California, became the first Black American, first Indian American and first woman elected vice president of the U.S. “As a young Indian American girl, I could never see myself in political spaces because there was no one who ever looked like me in them,” shares Anika. “For girls like me, Kamala Harris’ election shows us that we not only belong in places where decisions are made, but we are also more than capable of making those decisions ourselves.”

Known as the “role model effect” among political experts, studies show that girls and women are more likely to be politically active when they see themselves represented in government. But around the world, women serve as heads of state in only 22 countries, and 119 countries have never had a female leader. At the current rate, the world will not see gender equality in the highest positions of power for another 130 years.

What effect does this gender gap in government have on the lives of girls and women? We asked young women from New Zealand, the UAE and the U.S. to share their reflections on female representation in politics.

Anagha Rajesh, 19, UAE

Originally from India, I have grown up in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the last 19 years. I have many female politicians to look up to here. Our Federal National Council, the legislative body that formulates policies, has 50% female representation, and in 2020 H.E. Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology, made international news for leading a team of scientists and engineers to launch the UAE’s “Hope” mission to Mars.

But despite our presence in the Federal National Council, women do not have any representation in the Federal Supreme Council, the highest decision-making body in our government. The UAE being a constitutional monarchy, the ruling family has the final say in all matters relating to the state. Traditionally, power is transferred from fathers to sons, and not daughters. This confines women to the lower and middle levels of political power.

The lack of female representation among high-powered decision-makers has real consequences for girls and women living in the UAE. Several aspects of the Personal Status Laws of the UAE constitution are discriminatory towards women. A woman can only inherit half of what her brother may inherit from their father. A woman is not allowed to sign her own marriage contract, instead a male guardian has to do this on her behalf, which can lead to women being forced into marriages without their consent. And judges in the UAE can deem a woman in breach of her spousal obligations if she leaves the house or goes to work for a job deemed outside “the law, custom or necessity.” These provisions in the constitution can be abused to curb the rights of women, especially because most judges in UAE courts are men.

Furthermore, babies born to a parent with an expired passport, identification card or residency visa are not issued birth certificates in the UAE, a policy that disproportionately impacts migrant women from marginalised backgrounds. Employers frequently exploit migrant women, confiscating their documents and refusing to renew their work permits and passports. This prevents migrant women from obtaining a birth certificate for any children born in UAE. Their child may also be prevented from accompanying them when they return to their home country due to their child’s lack of valid identification.

“I believe that if women were able to wield the highest decision-making power in the UAE, they could amend such patriarchal laws to protect the right of all girls and women to make decisions about their own lives and careers.”

— Anagha Rajesh

I believe that if women were able to wield the highest decision-making power in the UAE, they could amend such patriarchal laws to protect the right of all girls and women to make decisions about their own lives and careers. In order to achieve this, our leaders need to enlist an international, non-partisan group to conduct a study of the country’s political space and identify reasons for low representation of women in politics. They can then use the findings to chalk out policies and programmes that will bring more women into politics. For example, Malta began to offer women politicians free child care in order to incentivise politics as a career for women. The focus of these efforts should not be on simply getting more female representatives into parliament, but on reforming the entire political culture so that it becomes more inclusive to women.

At the citizen level, we all have a role to play in encouraging female participation in politics. First, families can bring political discussions to the dinner table. If little girls are exposed to political discussions during their formative years, it will give them the confidence to voice their opinions and tackle political issues when they get older. Schools and educational institutions also need to engage girls in meaningful dialogue about politics and offer them an opportunity to interact with women politicians so that they have role models to look up to. In the UAE, many female politicians come from families who already work in politics, which creates a narrative that women from non-political families do not have a place in government. In order for this to change, girls should have an opportunity from a young age to interact with and learn from women politicians. Lastly, just as STEM majors at university are encouraged to intern with tech companies, aspiring politicians need to be given an opportunity to intern with their local leaders. We should encourage governments and corporations to fund programmes that will give girls an insight into the workings of the political system and help them understand how they can better it.

The status quo is slowly and steadily changing. We girls are the future. And it is in our hands to shape what our political system should look like.

Anika Mukker, 17, U.S.

I’ve grown up in a family of doctors, engineers and scientists — incredibly passionate and caring people who have made huge differences in the lives around them. However, I always knew that my path was a little different. I wanted to change the world by pursuing policy and international relations.

Although the people around me always supported my dreams, as a young Indian American girl, I could never see myself in political spaces because there was no one who ever looked like me in them; there was no one who represented me in them. This was why the 2020 election in the U.S. was so important — and particularly stressful for me. Kamala Harris, a senator from the state of California, was running for vice president alongside Joe Biden, and if elected she would become the first Black American, first Indian American and first woman to serve as vice president of our country.

The week of the election, my friends and I were on call nearly every day, refreshing election results as we tried to finish our schoolwork. Then, on November 7, the seemingly endless election came to an end and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris came out victorious. That night, Kamala Harris spoke in front of supporters in Delaware. As I watched her speech, a few feelings washed over me. The first feeling was relief. I was so happy that the election was finally over and that we’d soon have representatives in office who I trusted to make decisions.

The next feeling was excitement for what her election meant for the present and the future. For girls like me, Kamala Harris’ election shows us that we not only belong in places where decisions are made, but we are also more than capable of making those decisions ourselves. Vice President Harris was the first in so many aspects, but by being the first she’s shown us that she won’t be the last. She’s also shown girls the need to fight and strive for change until our voices are fully heard, represented and respected.

“For girls like me, Kamala Harris’ election shows us that we not only belong in places where decisions are made, but we are also more than capable of making those decisions ourselves.”

— Anika Mukker

The final feeling was a sense of purpose. There’s so much change that still needs to be made; my home state of California has never had a female governor, and currently there are only three women of color in the Senate. After watching Kamala Harris become the first woman and the first woman of color to become the vice president of the United States, I felt that much more mobilized and ready to take initiative and push for that progress.

Under Vice President Harris’ leadership, I hope the U.S. can start tackling those issues that disproportionately affect women — starting with the COVID-19 pandemic. Around the world, women have been shown to be more susceptible to the economic consequences of the pandemic because of long-standing inequalities. Because the impacts of the virus are most profound in already marginalized communities, race and ethnicity compound the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on girls and women. When women don’t have a say in the legislation that drives how the pandemic is addressed, incredibly valuable and necessary perspectives are left out of the decision-making process. If a group of people is being impacted disproportionately by an issue, wouldn’t it make sense to ask for their help in coming up with the solution?

Another issue that comes to mind is reproductive health care. For so long, decisions about women’s and girls’ bodies have been made by men in positions of power. Currently many women in the U.S. — specifically lower-income women of color — face barriers to receiving adequate sexual and reproductive health care, and multiple state legislatures enacted restrictions to receiving such care just last year. Although President Biden repealed the Global Gag Rule — which blocked nonprofits that provided comprehensive sexual education from receiving vital funding — in his first days of presidency, there’s still an opportunity for the federal government to reinstate the policy unless legislation like the Global Health, Empowerment and Rights (HER) Act is implemented and women’s perspectives are truly accounted for. Kamala Harris has consistently asserted that all women deserve access to safe, affordable and comprehensive reproductive health care, so I hope the government will work towards that now that she is vice president.

No matter the country, increasing women’s participation and representation in politics depends on empowering girls from a young age. Our leaders can start by lifting girls up through education. Weaving lessons about civic engagement and social justice into school curriculums will help students’ learning go beyond historical information and equip them with the resources to become leaders. In tandem with learning, women and girls need spaces where their voices are heard and taken seriously. By speaking out on the issues that directly impact them — in government, in classrooms or at home — women can use their experiences and opinions to catalyze progress. Training girls from a young age to speak out and use their voices for good will help us nurture a generation of political leaders, active citizens and change-makers.

Girls deserve the chance to learn, be heard and work towards whatever careers they want to pursue. Instead of getting shamed for being bossy, girls should be encouraged to stand up and lead. Instead of being told to be quiet and timid, girls should be encouraged to raise their voices. Instead of being told what their future has in store, girls should decide it themselves.

Yujung (Eliana) Heo, 17, New Zealand

Living in New Zealand comes with many benefits, like amazing cuisine, scenery and environment. But as a young woman in New Zealand, I experience one privilege many other girls around the world do not have — living under a female prime minister.

Jacinda Ardern, our prime minister, is an influential and uplifting leader, and her leadership has had a huge impact on young girls in New Zealand. Her skills and capability dispel the prejudice that women can’t lead and that we are not on the same level as men. She inspires young girls to want to become leaders themselves, giving the message that regardless of gender, if you have the right mindset to lead and support your society then you, too, can be a great leader. I feel as if she gives us hope; although we may not be one of the biggest countries in the world, we can be a country that is strong and powerful in leading the way for gender equality.

Under Jacinda Ardern’s leadership, the New Zealand government works day by day to better the lives of girls in New Zealand. As a young woman myself, it is really comforting and reassuring to know that my government is taking action to help with girls’ lives. For example, Jacinda Ardern announced this year that New Zealand schools would provide free period products for all students in primary, intermediate, secondary and kura (Māori-language immersion) schools. When I read the news, I was so grateful because it meant that the lives of young girls in New Zealand who suffer monthly due to a lack of access to period products were finally improving. This is all because we had a woman representative in the government, who can speak from experience on behalf of girls and women in New Zealand.

Apart from Jacinda Ardern’s gains for women, I believe having a female prime minister and leader benefits all New Zealand citizens. I very much respect our prime minister because of the ways that she shows high capability in leading others in tough times like COVID-19. When the virus began to spread around the world she quickly imposed a national lockdown in New Zealand, made COVID-19 tests widely available to citizens and kept us informed through Facebook Live chats and formal daily briefings. Due to Jacinda Ardern’s positive ways of leading the country we are now in Alert Level One, which is nearly living back in our everyday lives.

“Female leaders can uniquely understand the difficulties and challenges that girls face on a daily basis and think up solutions that will actually work.”

— Yujung (Eliana) Heo

However there are always downsides and problems, even with a female prime minister. New Zealand has a very high rate of sexual and domestic violence, mainly against girls and women. This means that to this day, women (and men) still suffer through incidents that no human should experience. This needs to be stopped, and it will take more than one prime minister to stop it. I hope that women stay in power in New Zealand long after Jacinda Ardern’s term is over, because female leaders can uniquely understand the difficulties and challenges that girls face on a daily basis and think up solutions that will actually work.

Some ways New Zealand’s leaders — and leaders around the world — can increase women’s participation in politics is to start a government-funded young women’s leadership organisation that identifies and trains young girls who show an interest in politics. Having an organisation like this would allow girls to learn how to be good, empathetic leaders and help them fulfil their full potential. Furthermore, spreading messages and reminders about equality and women’s rights to our society is very important because it helps young girls develop the confidence to become leaders. I think schools in New Zealand should celebrate International Women’s Day every year — or even start our own Women’s Day devoted to female students who would like to become leaders but are afraid to start speaking out. To help them, we can spread messages of girls’ empowerment and hold workshops that will teach girls how to engage their communities and believe in themselves as leaders. I hope that at the end, us females will appreciate ourselves and grow more confidence to further fight for equal rights.