"Women in Politics" - February 2022

The Young Feminist Network Newsletter

February 01, 2022

The Young Feminist Network was established in July 2020 by Everystory Sri Lanka to bring together people interested in learning more about feminism, particularly from a Sri Lankan and South Asian perspective.

This month, our newsletter is curated on the theme of “Women in Politics" Here, we look to explore the impact brought by women to politics and the influence of Feminism in the political world.

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Dear Reader,

We are excited to bring you this month’s Newsletter, curated around the theme of “Women in Politics”. Here we will be discussing the importance of women's political participation to a nation’s decision-making, or even to voicing out the issues in a community and allowing a feminine mind to participate in solution-finding and enacting. We focus to emphasize how this is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. Women's direct engagement in public decision-making is a means of ensuring better accountability to women.

My favorite section in this Newsletter is the Reading List curated by Dr. Chulani Kodikara. The Reading List is curated around “The Participation and Representation of Women in Electoral Politics”. This reading list is rich in Sri Lankan resources that focus on electoral politics and the level of engagement given to women. Informative is an understatement to describe Dr. Chulani's reading list. I gained extensive insight into the research work done in this area which made me realize that there is a long way to go for women to obtain their deserving position in a nation's decision-making mechanism. And now it is our responsibility to address this issue and voice out the need for women to sit at the leaders' table and discuss peoples' necessities.

Last but not least, I hope you enjoy this newsletter as much as I did on putting it together.

As always, we love to hear your thoughts and feedback. We value the complimentary and the critical equally, so please share! You can get in touch via email at [email protected]

In Solidarity,

Stefania Perera,

YFN Newsletter Editor - February

Program Manager - Everystory Sri Lanka

"A good place to begin the study of women’s representation and engagement with politics is with the concept of democracy and its relationship to the idea of political representation. Feminism from the very outset has had an interest in critiquing, expanding, and revitalizing democratic theory and practice on the ground that democracy has not served women well and that citizenship in all democratic traditions — whether in the civic republican, liberal, or the social democratic traditions — is characterized by women’s exclusion.

Carol Pateman’s Sexual Contract (1988) has provided much of the groundwork for feminist critiques of the notion of the universal citizen; the public and private divide that excludes women from the public sphere, including democratic institutions, as well as the concept of formal equality. Also check out her Disorder of Women: Democracy, Feminism, and Political Theory (1989), which brings together a selection of essays that engage with democratic theory."

Curated by Dr. Chulani Kodikara who has just completed her Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh. Her thesis is titled ‘Inscriptions and Erasures, Grief, Hope, and Rights: A struggle for truth and justice for disappearances in postwar Sri Lanka’. She was previously a researcher with the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms.

Also explore...

Gain an insight into approaches and policies used by South Asia's women leaders, how they manage disasters and gender equality amidst Covid.

South Asia has elected its share of prominent women politicians. But what has that meant for gender equality and women’s rights on the ground?

The episode in this show discusses the matter of - Why Sri Lanka needs more women in politics. with the guest speaker - Attorney-at-Law Chamathka Ratnayake.

Tara Krishnaswamy is a software engineer by day and a social activist by night. In this talk, she challenges our perspective on women in politics- particularly in the Indian context. She addresses predominant misconceptions about the efficiency of a woman in power to show us the need for more women in governing bodies.

Movies

This is an Indian biographical drama film based on the life of the late iconic figure of Indian politics and Prime Minister of India, J Jayalalitha. She is one of India's most influential politicians. The late Chief Minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu was popularly known as 'Amma' meaning Mother by thousands of her supporters.

Four American female candidates -- each driven by personal experience and hardship -- enter the 2018 race for Congress, challenging powerful incumbents for a spot at the table and a voice in government. This emotional documentary follows their campaigns.

Poetry

There’s not a day that goes by where I’m not in awe of the women that have molded me. protected me. supported me. and encouraged me to become who I am today. not a day goes by that I forget how I am because of them. and how the space I occupy is only possible because of their legacies.

Instagram Pages to follow!

The Sisterhood Initiative is a group where girls of any faith can join and actively campaign against issues they face.

A global community that celebrates empowers and amplifies the voices of South Asian women worldwide.

Education

‘The Rights of the Child’ is a seminar series conducted by The Department of Education’s Public Seminar Series, interrogating the concept of rights of the child and implications for research, policy, and practice. The public seminars will be run online over Zoom. Please follow the event links in the Seminar Series program below for more information on each event and to register for each seminar.

Join us on a cosmopolitan adventure through politics, society, conflict and nature, and ask yourself, as we look to the future of humanity, whether there is one global order that is sufficiently complex to be both lasting and sustainable.

Explored through the lens of different political systems, this course provides the insights neededto understand Democracy today and the challenges faced by democratic governments.

Paid Work Opportunities

The Women's Rights Programme of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC WRP) is looking for a content production coordinator and experienced editor to join APC’s virtual office and help support our exciting work.

Please click the link below to find more information as to the job vacancy.

Please click the link below to find more information as to the job vacancy.

Learning Circle Sessions

If you want to suggest any particular topic for our Featured Speaker sessions and learning opportunities, please fill in this Google Form and let us know!

For more on the Support Team, read here.

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