Great Britain (Brussels Morning) The recent wave of women exiting prominent political roles is not merely disheartening—it signals a profound democratic crisis necessitating immediate and decisive action.
The United Kingdom’s Nicola Sturgeon, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, and even Moldova’s Natalia Gavrilita – women are leaving politics in droves. Except, these are not just isolated incidents, but a glaring symptom of a systemic crisis that corrodes the pillars of representative democracy and it has everything to do with sexism.
As the first Black woman elected as Member of Parliament for London West and a fervent advocate for diversity and inclusion, I have personally witnessed first-hand the systemic barriers that women face in the political arena – particularly those from marginalized communities who often face the most profound obstacles.
Ontario’s first openly gay premier Kathleen Wynne’s experience echoes this. Before her electoral defeat and resignation, she faced a deluge of homophobic and sexual abuse online that not only besmirched her reputation but also, arguably, skewed public perception in the lead-up to the vote —reflecting a vicious cycle that tarnishes female politicians’ legacies and deters future participation.
Leaders like Ardern and Sturgeon have also borne the brunt of disproportionate scrutiny and criticism in the media and public for years. Their every decision, from parenting to hair color, was subjected to deeply sexist questioning, overshadowing their numerous substantive political achievements.
And they’re not alone.
Take, for example, the extreme vitriol aimed at U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, often from her political peers. Or consider Finnish MP Sanna Marin, who faced severe backlash for a video of her at a club, while male leaders like Boris Johnson got away with hosting alcohol-fuelled parties during lockdown.
This reality is not just a reflection of gender inequality but also a warning sign of the entrenched systemic challenges women face in politics. The path we are on suggests it could take another 130 years to achieve gender equality in leading governmental positions – a timeline we cannot afford to accept.
For example, fewer than a third of the United Nations’ 193 member states have ever had a female leader. The current landscape is even bleaker, with just 12 UN member states being led by women, a stark decline from the 17 we had in 2022.
However, this issue extends beyond mere female representation; it encompasses the gendered bias and online abuse faced by all women in politics and leadership roles.
Studies show that women in public roles are abused online every 30 seconds, with female politicians receiving 27 times more online abuse than their male counterparts. This abuse is not just verbal; it often escalates to threats of violence and harassment, creating an environment of fear and intimidation.
As the Chair of the Liberal Black Caucus, I have seen how this reality particularly impacts women from minority backgrounds. In the UK for example, BAME MPs receive a disproportionate amount of hateful messages, despite their smaller numbers compared to white MPs.
As Chair of the Liberal Black Caucus, I have seen how this particularly affects women of minority backgrounds in the UK, who face a disproportionate amount of online vitriol. It’s an epidemic of hate speech that is reshaping Western society and systematically dissuading women from leadership roles.
The harsh truth is that there is an epidemic of hate speech that is undeniably altering Western society and systematically discouraging women from seeking and maintaining positions of leadership.
This means that this crisis is not just about flagrant injustice treatment or hate speech; it’s about a systematic devaluation of women’s contributions to public life and the erosion of our democratic foundations.
The absence of women in political leadership roles deprives our governments of essential diverse perspectives and experiences that are crucial for effective governance. It sends a demoralising message to young girls and women aspiring to enter politics, perpetuating a cycle of underrepresentation.
To counter this, we must bolster support for women in politics, encouraging them to embrace their identities wholeheartedly and directly defy the misogynistic systems that work to eject them prematurely from office, preventing them from enacting meaningful policy change.
This includes the formation of transnational female networks that provide support and mentorship, fostering a sisterhood among female leaders. Women must also encourage their peers to enter sectors that are traditionally reserved for men, such as foreign affairs, defense, and also justice.
This is something that the Open Society Foundation (OSF) attempted to address with its recent ‘Open Futures Forum’ which brought leading women from various political, social, and economic backgrounds together in the build-up to APEC. The OSF – which works to build more inclusive societies – understood the importance of this forum after the APEC Women and the Economy Dashboard found that only 27% of parliamentary and ministerial positions in APEC economies are held by women, with similarly low representation in private sector leadership.
Over a four-day summit, young female political leaders from APEC nations and beyond heard from a range of successful and inspiring female speakers attended workshops, and formed a mentorship program that aims to address the sustained advancement of feminist leadership. This comprehensive approach includes enforcing policies that combat hate speech and promote inclusion and women’s contributions to public life.
The forum was a promising start, but we can’t stop our efforts there.
The prevailing circumstances demand a collective commitment to address this issue head-on. We must work together – politicians, lawmakers, educators, and civil society – to collectively denounce and dismantle the harmful misogyny that is poisoning our society.
The time to act is now and my call to action is clear: We cannot wait another 130 years to achieve gender equality in politics. We must eradicate the systemic barriers that push women out of politics and onto the fringes of our democracy.
Only through such transformative efforts can we ensure that our governments are truly representative and capable of addressing the world’s most pressing crises.
