Barriers Affecting Women’s Political Participation In Liberia

Many women especially in Liberia and other developing countries when asked if they would consider entering politics, i.e., consider becoming a candidate for an elective position in public office or appointed to a decision-making position in government, answer in the negative.  Foremost among their reasons is that politics is reputed to be dirty, where methods employed include the illegal and the unethical to win in elections and assume power, and where the corruption of public service for personal and narrow group interests has been the accepted norm.  They say that they are intimidated and threatened by these dark sides of politics that they are likely to be pressured to join as their entrance fee into mainstream politics.

Through numerous dialogues and networking at various governance levels from local to national, regional and international, many women in Liberia have come to some consensus that politics has to be transformed, and that political transformation needs the active involvement of women. Therefore, women who believe in serving the public trust and can commit to public accountability should enter politics to effect this transformation.

Most women have been socialized into traditional roles in a patriarchal society and have integrated these traditional values of inequality between women and men.  It would be an exceptional woman who is a self-made, self-taught feminist.  One or two sessions to raise gender awareness as part of women’s leadership trainings may not be adequate to undo the deep socialization in traditional values of most women.