Equality Now is turning 28! It’s made us reflect on the progress we’ve made collectively towards gender equality over the last few decades. Our work protecting and promoting the human rights of women and girls means we get to work side by side with some incredible women in positions of power every day. At a time when many female-led governments are being praised for their assertive leadership in response to COVID-19, we’re asking why women leaders matter.
From Germany to New Zealand, and Finland to Taiwan, female leaders have been praised for their decisive action in introducing quarantine and social distancing rules, their clear, consistent messages to citizens based in fact, their empathy and humor, and taking COVID-19 seriously from the start.
Diverse representation in parliaments, governments, and other decision-making positions matters. Without it, laws and policies are made often to benefit those who have a seat at the table, while others are forgotten (intentionally or not).
We asked a few of our friends why diversity in decision-making matters, and how COVID-19 is affecting the communities they serve.
Alejandra Mora Mora, Costa Rican lawyer and current Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women, part of the Organisation of American States:
Samia Melki, President of Kadirat, Tunisia:
Read more from our friends:
- Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, United States
- Rainatou Sow, Executive Director of Make Every Woman Count, Guinea
- Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
Make sure you are following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter for the latest in our #WomenInPower series.