Call for action

A call to accelerate GENDER PARITY  

 

A round-table of women, community groups and stakeholders will discuss the topic of gender imbalance in decision making bodies on October 20, 2018 at the Margao Residency Hall, Goa. 

While the conversation on sexism and sexual harassment is expanding in India with the #MeToo campaign challenging the status quo, it is even more evident how little is done to position issues affecting womens' rights as political priorities. This is critical. Despite governmental claims that adequate resources are spent to reach women -- women from community levels to state to country continue to be struck by challenges. There is an urgent need to rapidly change the quality of women’s daily lives.

Too few women at the top means we are all losing out 

Providing an environment for changing women’s lives cannot be achieved unless it is considered within a human rights context. And the job of women rights' advocacy groups is to act as pressure groups to see that this happens. Therefore, on October 20, 2018, some 50 female leaders from all streams of activities, including politics, will be meeting at a round-table on Women in Power & Decision-making: A call to accelerate gender parity and gender focussed action at the Margao Residency. Here, women from discrete spaces, varied backgrounds with heterogeneous experiences will ask; How to bring more women in decision making roles? How barriers to women’s participation in power positions can be overcome, or lessened. The round table will hear from women leaders from various fields of activities; academics, civil society, women groups, political leaders & activists, lawyers, entrepreneurs, medical practitioners, journalists, environmentalists, home-makers, etc. 

The event organised by Evescape, Goa's first women's magazine, will be powered by resourceful women from across Goa; Dr. Mamta Kumari (assistant professor, Department of Women Studies, Goa University), Adv. Lida Joao Da Silva Luis e Kenkre (chairperson, Child Welfare Committee), Laxmi Gonsalves (environmentalist), Adv. Harsha Naik (member, International Human Rights' Association), Nibedita Sen (journalist, Gomantak Times), Dr. Atasia D'Silva (physician), Adv. Pawankumari Palekar Iyer (civil & criminal lawyer), Dr. Sachika Almeida Sharma (member, United Nations Dance Council), Dr. Padma V Molio (medical practitioner), Adv. Ashma Sayed (Vice-chairperson, Minorities Finance & Development Corporation), Sakshi Amol Nagarsekar (student leader), Ranjita Pai (president, Madgaon Mahila Mandal), Varsha Naik (educationist), Dr. Renuka D' Silva (Chairperson, SGPDA), Sulakshana Sawant (chief, BJP Mahila Morcha, Goa), Vanita Borkar (former sarpanch), Vaibhavi Shetye (student), Priya Almeida Goes (Life & Wellness coach), Sharmila Prabhu (author), Purnima Desai (entrepreneur), Meenaz Bhanu (member Jamaat e Islami Hind), Rekha Rao (professor), besides Usha Sampathkumar (educator & social activist, Bengaluru), Aruna Dhuri (activist,Janjagruti Saunstha), Ruvina Khan (Journalist, Times of India), Malavika Gubbivani (political activist, Mysuru), Asawari Nayak (State resource centre for women) and Dr. Geeta Bora (director, Spherule Foundation, Pune) -- will further add value to the deliberation. 

Shanthala Damle, founder, Avala Hejje, Karnataka, will deliver the key note address. Tara Krishnaswamy, noted author & women rights' activist, will deliver the opening comment. The round-table will be chaired by Rajeshree Nagarsekar, chief editor, EVESCAPE and co-chaired by Archana Agnihotri, founder, Samadhan Abhiyan, Delhi. 

Participants will be discussing issues such as leadership, legislation and policies that work for women and how to include gender impact in government policy-making. Around the world, women are closing the gender gap in areas such as health and education, but significant gender inequality persists in decision making bodies and politics. The World Economic Forum’s 2017 global gender gap report estimates it will be 217 years before women achieve parity. The participants will discuss steps that can and must be taken to ensure that women achieve full equality in all spheres of lives. The gathering will deliberate on the distinct contribution women make to politics vis-a-vis the negative symbolic and substantive consequences of under-representation of women (or perhaps better put as the over-representation of men) in politics.

Under the topic; Legal regulation & measures -- Gender quotas to support women’s political participation -- participants will discuss the pending women reservation bill, which if passed will allow more women to overcome highly gendered, localistic barriers. The round-table will also discuss the role of political and societal stakeholders in facilitating women to run for office and get into decision making roles. A key note address on Importance of strenghtening women’s participation in decision-making roles will be delivered. Discussion on such key issues will provide plenty of opportunity for delegates to make contributions from the floor.

The round-table assumes significance as it will help set the stage for creation of a pan-India movement to press for gender parity in decision making bodies and will thus lay the foundation for the formation of a non-partisan platform to further the agenda of gender parity across the country. 

Paving the way for more women in decision making roles is a necessary step to achieving gender equality. Women have a right to engage in civil society, be elected to government office, serve on boards, and make their voices heard in any process that will ultimately affect them, their families, and their communities. And since women in positions of authority tend to advocate for and allocate budgets towards social issues, their involvement in decision roles is beneficial for all. Women know their situation best, therefore they should participate equally with men to have their perspective effectively incorporated at all levels of decision-making, from the private to the public spheres of their lives, from the local to the global.

Today, we are at a crossroads. This round-table will be an opportune time, then, for female leaders to come together to share their experiences. It can be a stepping stone to serve a pragmatic purpose, identifying practical measures to dismantle barriers holding up further progress and gathering evidence on the influence of women in powerful positions. 

The key takeaways projected are: looking for women leaders in all aspects of civic engagement, and encouraging the women that we know. Women taking on leadership roles at the local level - and those actively engaging with their communities - might be the next ones to run for office. Participants at the round-table will also advocate for new laws - or strengthening existing ones - when it comes to fostering a safe and welcoming work environment. It trickles from the top, so more women need to be in leadership positions. 

Just as simple as that!