Women's Leadership

In a sector where women are rarely seen at the forefront, 33-year-old Shoko Kawata made history by becoming Japan's youngest female city mayor when she was elected in Yawata, southern Kyoto Prefecture last year. Her victory was unexpected — but for some is a welcome change.

At first, they thought they would be the ones preparing themselves for political positions in Mexico: “a feminist party,” they mused. But then, they realized that wasn’t their purpose. They came to the conclusion that, although they care deeply about the way politics are done in their country, they didn’t personally want to step into those roles.

UN Women organized an Information Sharing Meeting on Strengthening Women's Political Participation and Decision Making in cooperation with the Committee on Equality Opportunities for Women and Men (EOC) of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA).

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Ghana) has expressed their bitter feelings over the neglect of women in leading political roles in Ghana.

The women lawyers, speaking in an interview on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, advocated the need and significance of having a female as Running Mate to the presidential candidates of the political parties, particularly the New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress.