Why Do Men in Government Outnumber Women?

Why Do Men in Government Outnumber Women?
An In-Depth Look at the Stats on Female Political Figures

Johannesburg, South Africa, 12 May 2017 – The Battle of the Sexes is an age-old war that doesn’t seem to tire out, and it’s as prevalent in governments across the globe as it is in the business world. South Africa isn’t the only country where men outnumber women in government, and it appears that women across the world are all fighting their way up the political ladder, according to Adzuna.co.za

Adzuna, a job aggregator which lists over 100,000 jobs in South Africa on one website, looked at over 3,000 government or public sector related jobs online. With an average salary of over R696, 080, many of these jobs seemed far more directly worded to male employees.

In order for female political figures to overcome the labyrinth of gender inequality in government, they must face the typical gender stereotypes and trump them.

Men are regarded as agentic, assertive, and the ones who usually take charge. Women, on the other hand, are still seen as communal people who care, are friendly, and take care of families.

The problem is this: People have this idea that political leaders have to be more agentic than communal. And while there might be a slow and steady change on the horizon, it’s happening at a pace that won’t allow women to take up political positions of importance for at least the next 500 years, according to one source.

Quick Facts on Women in Parliament Today

• Compared to the stats in 1995, there has been a slow but steady rise in the number of female parliamentarians, based on a UN Women study done in June 2016.
• Rwanda is the country that has the most female parliamentarians in the world, with women dominating 63.8% of the cabinet.
• India has a law in which one-third of a village’s council has to be reserved for women, which in turn leads to more women being elected into government.
• The global average of women in parliament stands at roughly 21%
• South Africa’s government consists of 45% female parliamentarians, which places SA 3rd in the world rankings related to female empowerment in government.

A Sad Reality

Take Madeline Albright (U.S female Secretary of State) for example, who said she’d often consider making a certain comment but then end up not uttering it because of the fear that the public would find her comment ‘stupid’. She also talked about how that exact comment would we welcomed and even applauded on by the public had a man delivered the speech.

It’s pretty obvious that female political figures are measured according to double standards. They have to prove that they do have an agentic side, a side which can and will take control of the situation. Once they start acting tough though, they get trashed for being ‘too tough’. In short: Men perfectly match the general stereotype, whereas women, well not so much.

The Dawn of a New Era

Luckily, over the past 40 years or so (especially in countries such as the USA), people’s perceptions have started changing about what they think a leader should be. They’re beginning to understand the importance of why political leaders need better social skills, something which can be found in most female politicians.

Final Thoughts

When you take all of this information into consideration, it’s not hard to understand why men still outnumber women in government, but it should also show you that change is on the horizon. No longer are female leaders pushing against the undefeatable glass ceiling, they’re simply navigating the labyrinth.

In a perfect world, people would be promoting gender-neutral political environments in which female participation would be applauded. Female political candidates would be repeatedly recruited, promoted, and encouraged to run for office. Most importantly, the pipeline dream would be focused on, encouraging future generation female leaders to get involved in government at a level which is compatible with their abilities and their specific interests.

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