The double standards & unfair treatment meted out to female politicians
Source: Feminism in India
The bitter truth is that gender injustice in politics is largely overlooked and has been normalised to the point where a woman preparing to start a career in politics should expect misogyny and sexism as by-products.
Recently, thirty-six-year-old Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin was heavily criticised after private videos of her partying with her friends surfaced on the internet. In one of the videos, Marin was seemingly drinking alcohol and dancing with her friends and in another picture that was published later, two influencers were shown to be posing topless in her official residence. She faced severe backlash and the public went on to call her behavior “irresponsible and inappropriate.” Opposition party leader, Riika Purra, called for Marin to take a voluntary drug test which, later on, came out as negative. Marin said, “I have nothing to hide. I have not used drugs and therefore I have no problem taking tests.”
In a world where woman struggle to find representation in male-dominated fields, especially in politics which is deemed as an elite gentleman’s club, Finland seemed like a female utopia headed by a young, Sanna Marin and a coalition government where all five party leaders are women. However, she has had to prove her capability over and over again, being frequently character-assassinated for simply letting her hair down and hosting parties as a young woman.
Click here to read the full article published by Feminism in India on 30 August 2022.
The bitter truth is that gender injustice in politics is largely overlooked and has been normalised to the point where a woman preparing to start a career in politics should expect misogyny and sexism as by-products.
Recently, thirty-six-year-old Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin was heavily criticised after private videos of her partying with her friends surfaced on the internet. In one of the videos, Marin was seemingly drinking alcohol and dancing with her friends and in another picture that was published later, two influencers were shown to be posing topless in her official residence. She faced severe backlash and the public went on to call her behavior “irresponsible and inappropriate.” Opposition party leader, Riika Purra, called for Marin to take a voluntary drug test which, later on, came out as negative. Marin said, “I have nothing to hide. I have not used drugs and therefore I have no problem taking tests.”
In a world where woman struggle to find representation in male-dominated fields, especially in politics which is deemed as an elite gentleman’s club, Finland seemed like a female utopia headed by a young, Sanna Marin and a coalition government where all five party leaders are women. However, she has had to prove her capability over and over again, being frequently character-assassinated for simply letting her hair down and hosting parties as a young woman.
Click here to read the full article published by Feminism in India on 30 August 2022.