Gender norms and a lack of faith in women’s leadership continue to deter Bhutanese women from contesting in parliamentary elections. This is according to the two political parties, BTP and PDP that have six women candidates in total contesting the general round of fourth National Assembly Elections. This reflects the gender imbalance that persists despite efforts towards gender equality in various spheres.
46-year-old Dorji Wangmo, representing the Kengkhar-Weringla constituency in Monggar; Tshering Lhadon from the Chhumig-Ura constituency in Bumthang; and Ugyen Dem, representing the Khatoed-Laya constituency in Gasa, are the three female candidates of the BTP.
Similarly, the three female candidates in PDP are, Dimple Thapa from the Ugyentse-Yoseltse Constituency in Samtse, Dorji Choden representing the Thrimshing Constituency in Trashigang and 40-year-old Lekden Zangmo representing the Khar-Yurung constituency in Pema Gatshel.
The number of women candidates contesting the general round this time is a drop from 10 women candidates who contested the general round of the 2018 NA Elections.
Dasho Dechen Wangmo, a former politician says it is important for women to show support and have faith in fellow women’s leadership if Bhutan is to see a greater representation of women in politics.
“Mentorships are equally important to mentor, bring people together, engage in conversations, share ideas, and relate to someone by saying, ‘I face similar challenges, but how do we find solutions to our common problems?’ For that, I believe we need sisterhood, solidarity, and people who believe that women can accomplish what men can do,” said Dasho Dechen Wangmo, the former Health Minister.
Likewise, Namgay Zam, a gender activist says it is not fair to have only three women candidates in each party for the general round adding this will affect the decisions that the parliament endorses.
Namgay Zam, a Gender Activist said, “I think that it will be a huge challenge especially because, in this round, we only have 6 women, 3 from each party. 3 out of 47 seats. How is that fair? I don’t know if that is fair and it will impact the kind of decisions made in parliament because there are just 3 women who will have a say in matters that are important at a national level. Women don’t see things as men do and men don’t see things as women do. We are just wired differently.”
She added that there should be incentives to encourage and increase the number of women’s participation in politics.
Meanwhile, representatives of the two parties contesting the general round say that limited public support and adherence to social norms are the main reasons contributing to the low participation of women in politics.
BTP’s General Secretary Tshering Nidup said, “Gender equality is an integral part of government policies and plans. We have made efforts to encourage female executives to join our party, but unfortunately, they declined. In my personal opinion, it is not that they lack interest. In the past, we have witnessed many women stepping forward as candidates and even as party presidents. However, perhaps they did not receive the anticipated support from the public.”
PDP’s General Secretary Kuenga Tashi said, “We aspired to have at least 50 per cent of women in our party. However, we did not achieve the expected number of women candidates. One of the main reasons for the lower participation of women in politics is social norms. There is a belief that leadership for women is more suitable at home than outside, especially in politics. Nevertheless, our party has female leadership, the Vice President, Dorji Choden, who serves as a role model for all Bhutanese women.”
While the number of women candidates contesting the election this time is less, what is more concerning is how many of them will make it to the parliament.
During the 2018 general round, only seven out of 10 women candidates were elected.
Similarly, the 2013 general round saw only three out of 11 women candidates getting elected.
Tashi Dekar & Interns(Chundu Wangchuk and Choying Dema)
Edited by Phub Gyem
