Woman Power: Some leaders are born women

The Curious Case Of South Asia: Girls Get A Raw Deal In The Region But Many Women Have Also Led Their Countries

Sujata Dutta Sachdeva TNN

Asians have always had the reputation for holding their women in low regard. Empowerment of women makes for good seminar topics here, but in real life, it’s the men who decide their role in politics and public life. Indeed, some urban women have managed to create space for themselves, but in most parts of rural Asia, Western feminist theories do not apply — for they have different concepts of power and prestige systems here.

But ironically , it’s the south and southeast Asian regions which have thrown up numerous women leaders who have led their countries in the last 50 years. In fact, the first woman prime minister in the world was from South Asia — Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka who came to power way back in 1960. That was the beginning. It laid down the emotional track, which carried all the subsequent women leaders of the region to the most prominent political position in their respective countries. From Indira Gandhi to Benazir Bhutto — the first woman to head an Islamic country — to Megawati Sukarnoputri, the first woman President of Indonesia, the list is long and we are still counting.

Studies have revealed that only 14% of parliamentarians in Asia and just under 14% in the Pacific are women. But even though their numbers may not be big, the expectation is that women’s involvement in politics improves the standard of governance, for they focus more on development, are less corrupt and more sensitive.

A study done in Australia a few years back found that 54% of those surveyed believed women who enter politics were motivated by altruistic and community welfare concerns, compared to only 13% among men. A good number (64%) felt men were motivated by personal interest and power, compared to only 11% of women. The general feeling is women are outsiders in politics so they are better equipped to transform things. But has that really been the experience in this region? Did countries really flourish under women prime ministers?

The failure of a politician is not based on gender; it’s to do with the polity and the political culture. For example, in Sri Lanka and Pakistan neither men nor women leaders have been able to deliver. Similarly, both Nawaz Sharif and Bhutto were accused of corruption. ‘‘In Sri Lanka the society is polarised; leaders have to take harsh measures, which will make one part of the society unhappy anyway. And this has nothing to do with the gender of the leader,’’ explains a Sri Lankan strategic expert. Expert say there is a novelty factor about women in politics, so expectations are high. They are seen as mother figures who are not very competitive and less cynical. But when in power, the system bogs them down so don’t expect them to do better than others.

Moreover, a women’s tenure is reviewed more harshly than a man’s. That’s because there are more men in politics. A few analysts feel the bias against women come through when you put them on a pedestal and expect them to behave in a predetermined fashion. ‘‘If politics is a game, why shouldn’t women play it like men?’’ asks a strategic expert. By assuming they are motherly, one makes them unidimensional. It’s a predetermined simplified and narrow definition. In the final analysis, success as a leader has to do with an individual’s drive and the ability to stand up against odds. Successful leaders have shown us this.


The Times of India