MODERN SEXISM: Why Inequality Will Lead to Democratic Destruction

Apolitical scientist at Texas A&M University claimed that a social contract is forged between leaders and their male subjects: “Men agree to be ruled by other men in return for all men ruling over women.” This is true as despite the fact that in 2015

women in every country of the world officially gained the right to vote, women currently make up less than 23% of parliamentarians as per the UNDP, creating a more than 50% political gender gap.

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An article in The Atlantic goes to great lengths to illustrate how “new authoritarians are waging war on women”, stating the following: “foster women’s equality in the home, and you may save democracy itself”. So deeply-rooted is sexism that it impacts almost every aspect of our lives – including politics. The most frequent argument brought against women in power and in labor has been that of motherhood and that the adjoining responsibilities meant that she had to give up work as explained in Sex, Gender and Society by Ann Oakley. However, the times have changed. Or so we thought.

We still live in a world where “male dominance is deeply linked to political legitimacy” to the point where successful political campaigns can be built around the corruption of women candidate’s reputations. Unfortunately, women often appear as a threat to “male dominance of public life” and are therefore falsely portrayed as weaker, naturally inferior, and symbols of “political perversity” as coined by Peter Beinart. Unfortunately, the easiest way for males to bring women down from their climb towards power is by reducing their human entities to nothing more than their socially-sexualized bodies.

Trump’s 2016 campaign against Clinton eventually reduced itself to the personification of Clinton as America’s corrupt political system. It didn’t end there as Trump proceeded to build speeches and promises around cleansing the government of a villain which happened to be the first woman in the history of the US to have been nominated for presidency by a major party.

Whilst democracy is often defined through voting, most academically-respected definitions of democracy do not include any reference to the importance of gender equality. The procedural minimum is usually: elected officials, all citizens being able to run for office, freedom of expression and access to information. This fails to engage with the fact that, as calculated by the UN, there are currently only “26 women serving as Heads of State and/or Government in 24 countries” which means that, at this rate, “gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for another 130 years”.

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Interestingly enough, major global issues appear to be more efficiently resolved when women come into power. In local panchayats (councils) in India, women-led councils resulted in a 62% increase in drinking water projects. In Norway, women in municipal councils led to greater childcare coverage. In a world where we claim that everybody has the same opportunities and freedoms, it appears ironic that half of the population remains so significantly unrepresented despite their success when they do reach positions of power.

Femicide – a term coined in Latin America, femicidio, as a way to identify the fact that there has been an increase in women and girls’ murders simply because of their gender – has led to a decline in political participation amongst women. Women politicians have declared to have been the victims of numerous “death threats, rape threats, and sexism, particularly online” as stated by the New Federalist. MPs such as Jess Philips have even claimed to have received over 600 rape threats in a single night. In 2016, Jo Cox was tragically murdered by a “supposed ‘political activist’” simply because of her gender and her position as a member of the UK Parliament, reports the New Federalist.

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This is an example of impediments to the implementation of democracy as women do not have the same access to political expression as men do. The UN declares that access to power and freedom of expression and opinion are essential elements of democracy. Therefore, the continuous intimidation and belittling of women in political spheres is a direct attack on democracy itself.

Females who attempt to step up into the male-dominated political sphere face emotional and physical threats. Women actively accept defeat at the hands of society even before they step into the political world. They are subdued through fear by subconscious interiorization of the fact that the political realm is not designed for them.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union claimed in 1992 that “the concept of democracy will only achieve true and dynamic significance when political policies and national legislation are decided jointly by men and women with equitable regard for [...] both halves of the population”. Governments must start leveling the law to remedy gender discrimination impregnated within it. The ending of gender-based violence and the provision of a voice to women are both further necessary steps in preventing further democratic deterioration caused by female discrimination. How can we possible continue priding ourselves with a world that still does not reflect gender parity?

FIN.