"Divided by two" (orig. „Împărțit la doi”): Women in Politics

Is a woman’s place at the stove or at the tribune of the parliament? Democracy has a simple answer to this question – a woman’s place is wherever she wants it to be. The important thing is that her desire should be conscious and assumed.

In a society with patriarchal views like Moldova, the challenge for the ladies that get to govern the country is double. On the one hand, they have to show to men that they are capable of bearing the burden of power, and on the other hand, they have to face the stereotypes that a woman’s role is quite other than ruling a state.

Thus, while statistics show that women in Moldova constitute more than half of the country’s population, in the parliament in Chisinau we have only 22 women among the total 101 MPs, which means around 22 percent.

How to take the bull by the horns in the country’s political bullfighting? The answer comes from female politicians Vitalia Pavlicenco, Maia Sandu, Zinaida Greceanii and Monica Babuc, who had the courage to enter the troubled waters of Moldovan politics. Also, from blogger and civic activist Diana Guja we find out how we can get rid of gender stereotypes and how the quality of our lives in general can change if professional women get to be at the head of the country.

We shall remind you that the IJC has been producing the cycle of programs “Divided by Two” [“Împărțit la doi”] since April, aiming to bring to the attention of the general public multiple aspects of gender issues and to present positive models of involvement of women and men in various spheres of life.

The "Divided by Two" shows are being made within the "Press Equalizes Gender!" (orig. "Presa echilibrează genul!") campaig, implemented by the Centre for Independent Journalism with the financial support from Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, through the Swedish Embassy to Chisinau.