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We'll be hearing from , India, Australia and no doubt other countries, where women's parties have sprung up arguing that mainstream politics just don't represent issues particularly important to women. We're trying to get representatives of those parties on today's programme. Karnie's managed to persuade a woman in Australia to stay up til 2am to join us and the rest of the team is looking for guests in other countries.

Believe it or not, Rwanda has the highest number of women in parliament. Britain comes in at number 52 in the global list and despite having a leading woman presidential candidate, the US ranks a dismal 67th!! Here's the :

We need to hear from you, please drop us a line. And here are your comments thus far:

1. Hi WHYS!

I hope you all are fine.

Women Political Party in India:
It is true that women in indo-pak are much deprived of their rights. However, their role in politics can be seen clearly. I may quote Sonia Gandhi (most powerful woman in india) and Benazir Bhutto (expected to get power soon) for justification.

The question is, "Are the women already in politics working for women rights?"

I would say that the formation of a party on the basis of gender only is only a trick to get appreciation, otherwise, it will divide socities further.

Russia and Iran:
We all know that every country on the world's stage acts according to what benefits her. These benefits could go in different dimensions e.g. political, economical, strategical etc. And it is obvious that Russia is securing all such benefits.

Back to the future:
It is true that Benazir Bhutto has been surviving only on the vote bank her father earned years ago. I see many Bhutto's voters angry at her and even then they say that they will vote her for the sake of satisfaction of her father's soul.

Her return in a dramatic and unwanted way is not welcomed widely.

With Regards,

Muhammad Asim Munir

2. Our head of State is a female but,I do not agree that women should vote for women only. votes are not to be given to people that are not competent to do the job.ofcousre there are women that are fit for the job, but some are just there to fill the space.
we have lots of women at the moment here in Liberia that are in political offices, but are yet to show the difference.
I support women in their drive to attain political jobs, but it should be done in an honest manner.

Uzondu Esionye

3. Hi Ros, I hope you have rested enough after having a feeling of Africa again. Now to this topic today Women are great leaders, they have responsibilities in the smallest entity of our society which is a family. For Africa historcally we have had great women leaders like Queen Shaba, there is also a great unknown Sudanese Queen who fought the british and died in battle. She was a great leader. Over the issue of Rwanda its different becuase of the genocide many men were killed hence the most respresentatives today are are women in parliament. This care care be proved in Liberia where Africa has a first woman president. My own point of view there is a need for balance of powers between men and women. If a woman excile to high power and she can perform let her have that authority. However this gender issue should not be over emphasised to such an extend that men are disadvantaged. We have to leave it for the societies to choose their leader li ke the case in India. Its interstng to hear that a new party has been formed in India with 100 members. There is always a first step in life.

Anyway what is leadership if you can not bring improvement to your community whether you are man or a woman you are not worth the position.
Isaac

4. Good afternoon, Ross:

I'm Charles, we met on your last visit to Detroit. I'm sorry to bug you this way...I couldn't find a better way of suggesting a possible topic for discussion on your today's program. I believe that the above referenced article (Africans are less intelligent than Westerners) that appeared on the Independent today, is certainly worth discussing on the global arena.

Please consider this topic!
Charles Nwasor
Detroit, MI

5. Dear Anu

I believe women want themselves and their children to be treated as respectable humans by men and entire society. I am so pleased that they don't to suffer in silence. Good luck to them and they will win because their contribution is life is massive.

Thank you.
Regards
Yogesh Raja from Aylesbury

6. Hi Anu,

I just wrote a very nice post on the web site, and it was refused. Well, I'll try to remember what I said:

No, women should definitely NOT vote only for women, they should vote for the BEST candidate. This might be a women, or it could equally well be a man. Equality is just that: EQUALITY. I'm dead against that pig that started walking on two legs and pronounced that everyone was equal, but some were more equal than others.

One of the reasons why there are more men than women in politics is because traditionally men are the ones who go out to work (in politics, perhaps), while traditionally women stay at home and care for the children and elderly people. Changing this tradition would be extremely difficult. Far better to let the situation evolve, then there would be far less conflict.

Chris in Namibia.

7. Would you vote for a woman over a man, if given the choice? Are there enough competent women candidates standing for election? If not, why? And is it important to get more woman into elected office?

The answer to all three questions is an emphatic NO!

Is there anything wrong with a woman standing as a candidate, or that there are none in my area, or perhaps it is not important. Again, my answer is no.

The problem is that despite being women standing for political office, I have come to a sad realisation that no matter what gender you are - man or woman - you are a politician. That says it all. Politicians have no scruples, abandon all their moral beliefs and personal ideals once they become an element of "the party" and simply say what they feel you want to hear to keep alive their hopes of election or maintain their longevity in parliament. That fact cannot be escaped. In my experience in Australia, as I watch politics, the debates in parliament, the question time and how they respond in the media and the women, apart from a different hair do and wardrobe, are no different to their male counterparts. They act the same, and anyone trading on their gender has to be suspect because they are just another politician and they inevitably offer nothing special once elected as would, as does, any other politican, man or woman.

Once you become a politician that overrides gender, once you become a politician you all look and sound the same. Cynical yes, but realistic.
Andrew

8. Hi Anu
Husband asks , "Do you know the meaning of WIFE??
"Without Information Fighting Everytime"
Wife replies," No, It means ,
"With Idiot For Ever !!!"
This shows that everyone thinks differently.

Regards
Yogesh.

9. Dear Ms. Anu Anand & the WHYS team,

Your Q : Would you vote for a woman over a man, if given the choice?

Ans) Yes, provided she is of EQUAL or more, proven competence compared to the man. If EQUAL then she will get my vote. (Caveat: She should NOT be a proven 'gold-digger'!).

Your Q : Are there enough competent women candidates standing for election?

Ans) No. The right for women to vote is a 'recently' acquired right, even in the western world. For the Muslim world the right has barely begun, if at all.....

Your Q : If not, why?

Ans) Not enough educated women. However, an important caveat - 'there are uneducated but competent men & women'! ( I can give examples). Again, the same pattern as in the previous answer. Least number of educated women are in the Muslim world. Probably, the highest number (percentage-wise) of uneducated males are also in the Muslim world. The Muslim world is being mentioned again and again, as they are a significant part of the population in this world. About 1 billion, i.e. one-sixth.

Your Q : And is it important to get more woman into elected office?

Ans) : Absolutely-Yes! Why? They then become role models for future generations. This will ultimately & hopefully lead to, say, 95% of all women in the world being educated. This will in turn result in better children (both male & female)..... & hopefully a world less mad than now!

My paternal grandmother was educated in Lahore (now in Pakistan) till Grade eight. This was unheard of in those days. BUT this allowed her to read newspapers & debate & .... My experience is that because of her education she inculcated in her children & grandchildren character & the desire to learn &.....

Max Mahajan

10. As for drugs being legalised I am assuming that hard drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine or heroin are the specific substances alluded to. Simple answer - no. The results are in that these substances are addictive are dangerous to health and well-being and cause far reaching social problems. Is it a personal choice? Looking at how drugs are portrayed sometimes as harmless or recreational hides a harder and darker side to them. Who is to say that anyone using such drugs would not get behind the wheel of a car and put your life in danger on the roads, because of their choice. Who is to say that parents (and I have neighbours such as these) with young children consume drugs daily while they are in their care, leave them unattended or transport them about whilst intoxicated. It is common that once tolerances occur either greater amounts or harder drugs are sought. Drugs will eventually take the upper hand in one's life as drugs are not just taken as a recreational pleasure, but from a deeper need to escape from reality. This always leads to continued and heavier use as the pressures of a modern life or the stressors one seeks to avoid can easily be sublimated so why face life when you can hide from it. And let's not forget the health implications, anything that alters brain function and perception will have long term effects that may not be immediately apparent, but are the none the less.

In a previous career I have seen the result of what drivers under the influence can do and the carnage they create on the roads. Just that alone is enough to say no and I would challenge anyone who disagrees to tour accident scenes and see first hand what happens in a collision. Now working in psychology I see again how drugs affect people's lives. Virtually all my clients are affected by drugs and this leads them to requiring psychological therapy, this is backed up by legitimate studies into drug use and abuse. But soft drugs, alcohol and nicotine are avilable. Does that excuse a prohibition? Look at the effects of these two legal substances and you can see how any drug can be and is misused and the fallout across society.
Andrew

Australia

11. Dear Ms. Anu Anand & the WHYS Team,

Reference an Email I sent over an hour ago, I forgot a couple of points:

1) Women vote for women?

No! Bad idea! Will cause alienation, polarisation,...

2) Will corruption & criminality disappear from politics if women dominate or completely take-over?

No. Please recollect the recent allegations against a woman who took high-office in India. A person I know (He was my classmate. HONEST to the core. I KNOW him) has dealt with her & according to him the allegations are true. So,....
Max Mahajan

12. Anonymous email

To vote for a person based on gender alone is just as bad as voting for someone based on race alone. It would marginalize the women's vote and men would feel no reason to listen to female concerns as they wouldn't be voting for them anyway. The best PERSON should be the choice.

13. The notion that "Women should only vote for women" is ridiculous; whoever is available and has the best talent, experience etc in a particular situation should be chosen for whatever the task is.Look at some of the best: Maggie Thatcher, Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi.

Gerry Watts, (Male!) Tasmania, Australia

14.I am all for Women's Rights.
One of the problems I see with advancing Women's Rights around the world is in religious views, practices and commandments. Religious restrictions on women have been and will continue to be a constant way of keeping women from achieving equality.
When I vote for my elected officials, it does not really matter to me if they are male or female, only that they support the issues that I am interested in. If a woman is more qualified than a man, she will get my vote.

As for only voting for a woman if you are a woman, that may not be the best policy. If the person you are voting for is not competent you should not vote for them, male or female. If a man follows along with a Equality agenda and is competent then he would be the proper choice. You want the best representative of who you are in government that you can get.

If a man and a woman, both with the same experience, same agenda, same competence were running, I would have to say I would vote for the woman. If only to get a fresh prospective or voice added into the male dominated system.
Jeff in Portland, Oregon USA

15.Women can lead a country just as good as a man. It’s got nothing to do with being a man or a woman, it has to do with the qualifications and abilities of an individual person. A man can be terrible just as a woman can. A woman can be great just as a man can. Get over it already.

Kim Olson

16. Women are meant to have intelligence and grace. Mrs. J-S embodies these qualities. We await many more to come foreward, and take over the running of the mess our men have made. Banks, amsterdam (text)

17. Ausztralia has a female head of state - HM Qeen Elhzabeth. Pdter Budapest (text)

18. Hi, Why do we need to have a women President to show the success of women in that country. As an American I work with women, my boss is a women and I have no problem working with them. I think there is a level of equality. The role of women has changed. I think the value of a mother has been put down. Working women look down upon stay at home moms. I think its very honorable for a mother to put her kids first. I think American society had taken that honor away from a women. To be a successful women today you work and put that first before your family.

Take care,
Adil
Washington, DC

19.The woman who just called from Oz should try and forget the coming election and stop pushing the opposition barrow...

Gerry Watts, Tasmania, Australia

20. Don't you think that women in the power could be dangerous because they sometimes are more cruel than men? Eavun, Ukraine (text)

21. Eric - I chuckle that your guests from Australia and the US are unable to explain the reason that there have been no women presidents in those countries while Liberia has elected one. The explanation's simple: Those countries have experienced nowhere near the level and length of violence that has befallen Liberia for so many recent years. Liberians should have voted for a nutered broom to fill the president's chair in preference over any of their men. Here's to President Ellen Johnson!

22. Of course Max is romantising about the role of women, the very typical Indian that he is. Just look at how S. Asians look up to & worship their mother figures. Anonymous text

23. Dear WHYS,

Don't forget that Ireland now has had two women Presidents - Mary Robinson who served two terms and currently Mary McAalleese who is our current President and serving her second term.

Regards, Eoin McPhaidin

Baile Atha Cliath (Dublin)

24. Ah, yes, does any woman president or prime minister still have chores at home?
The American filmmaker and the Australian woman who started a female political party touched on this, but it has long been pretty simple - industrialized nations rely on the free labour of millions of women and girls in order to prop up the economies, culture and political life of their male-dominated economy and political institutions. Imagine if all wives and mothers in the world's industrialized economies moved to Mars next week. To replace the free labour they provide, including cooking, cleaning, laundry services, childbearing, child raising, home nursing, chauffeur and secretarial services (and I'm sure I'm forgetting something) would cost those nations billions and billions of dollars. This is the institutional rut that women face in order to free themselves to engage fully and gain real power in the political process.
Patricia
Toronto, Canada