Where are the women in politics?

Feedback from our reader

In last week’s entry, this column asked the above question. While Malawi is making some strides in women participation in politics, there still remains bottlenecks that prevent their full participation, especially when vying for political positions. One of our readers Kate Kujaliwa had this to say:

The cost of participation in politics for women in Malawi remains excessively high. Despite on-going calls for increased female representation at all levels of government, the country continues to grapple with the low involvement of women in politics. Many wonder why capable and educated women shy away from political engagement. While significant progress has been made in gender equality discourse, entrenched male chauvinism and misogyny persist.

In my observation, politics in Malawi imposes demands that many women are unwilling to meet. Culturally, the Malawian society expects women to be submissive and docile. When women challenge these norms by speaking out or taking a stand, they are often met with derogatory labels and subjected to name-calling. The environment in politics is rife with vulgar language, bullying, and body shaming—tactics that shift the focus from the exchange of ideas to personal attacks. Many women, understandably, choose to avoid this toxic environment, preferring to forgo participation rather than engage in a space where the fight becomes personal rather than ideological.

This dynamic continues to deter women from entering the political arena, leaving the country to wonder how true gender equality in politics can ever be achieved.

So to answer your question, we would rather stay on the sidelines than be called mahule. We would rather watch from a distance than to see them drag our names in the mud “chakudya cha uje” just because you are successful or a political threat.

Others would say, “Why should this matter if it’s not true. Go ahead and do it, olankhulawo adzaleka. Provided you know the truth”. That cost is too high to demand on someone who has a lot to live for. I have girls, who will also have to see these things said about their mom. Though untrue, it will also affect them.

As a result, I have had to calculate the cost and I have seen that politics is very expensive.