Women’s voice in politics: Discussion at the National Assembly

On November 7^th, the National Assembly presented the report of the Council of Europe “Women’s political representation in the countries of the Eastern Partnership”, which summarized the results of the study conducted by European experts in the Eastern Partnership countries  – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The study revealed the main obstacles that restrict women’s political participation in Eastern Partnership countries. The discussion on “Women’s Voice and Women’s Leadership in Politics. Armenia’s Perspectives” was held in roundtable format.

In his speech, RA NA Vice President Arpine Hovhannisyan mentioned that the report reflects all the obstacles – stereotypical thinking, difficulties in financing, the complexity of combining family and political activity, and so on, the woman faces entering the politics. And the figures presented in the report are more than expressive.

“In our region women’s involvement in political processes does not exceed 20%, while women’s participation in national parliaments is only 22.8%. However, women’s participation in political processes is not just numbers or merely representation. It is content and, first of all, is a factor of change in the mindset or atmosphere of politics”, – Arpine Hovhannisyan underscored. According to her, the involvement of women contributes to the creation of a more cooperative environment not only in the parliament, but also in other platforms. “Women will succeed in politics if they become competitive, but it is not mandatory for women to be represented in the parliament as a result of a quota. They must be competitive, overcome the stereotypes that exist in our society, cease to be skeptical about their opportunities. I think that good education and work, high professionalism and dedication, and continuous aspiration for success can become a criterion for success”, she added.

Full text in Armenian