As the two-day national consultation workshop on women in politics in underway in Thimphu, a Danish MP and also a former woman minister, suggests that quota for women should only be an interim measure and not a long-term solution.
“It could be possibility of a period of years to get started, to get a level playing field. Right now it seems as if women are playing football uphill. Then they are bound to lose,” said Astrid Krag, adding that quota, therefore, could be a way of making the field even and plain and once the playing field becomes even for both men and women, there would be no need for quota.
Bhutanese women generally choose motherhood and other domestic obligations over their careers. And this has often been cited as one of main reasons for less women representation in leadership positions or politics.
Astrid Krag said Bhutanese women must find ways to break this barrier and take active part in politics or grab other leadership positions.
A mother of two, Astrid said when she got elected as a minister, she was pregnant with her second child. She gave birth shortly after assuming the post.
Confronted with the same challenges facing working mothers around the world, Astrid had to divide her time between work and her newborn. And she did something that perhaps could be unthinkable or impossible for many working mothers. She carried her baby to work. Her husband accompanied them.
“My husband played a very important role. He proved to be a good father that I could rely on. He as a father wanted to spend as much time as possible with the baby. So I was able to do my job,” she said.
Astrid added that it was not easy but Bhutanese working mothers must not let their careers take a back seat. And that the government must also find ways to enable women especially to take part in politics. She said leaving out women from politics is losing out on half the wisdom and capabilities.
She added that Bhutan giving thought on quota for women to enhance women participation in politics from a very early stage is a sign of political maturity.
“I have deep respect for the fact that you take your democracy so seriously and that you really don’t want to leave women out of politics. When we had our democracy 150 years ago, there were scientists debating whether it would damage women’s brain if they took part in politics, which is nonsense,” Astrid said.
Another former minister and a member of Danish Parliament, Lone Dybkjaer, is also attending the consultation workshop. She said quota for women is just one of the options of enhancing women participation in politics and should be adopted only for a certain period of time.
“Quota can be a short term solution. Just as it is not good for the sick to take medicine even after recovery, quota is not relevant once women come forward on their own,” she added.
The two-day workshop will conclude today.
