Maryland County – A popular marketer in Pleabo, Maryland County wants Liberian women to show courage when making a decision to enter politics due to the many odds against them.
Sophia D. Young comments about female participation in the Liberia’s 2017 elections reflect the socio-economic challenges women in Liberian politics endure.
There are 152 female representative candidates and one presidential candidate making up 15.9% of the total certified by the National Elections Commission (NEC) to participate in the October 10 elections.
Young attributes the low participation of women in Liberian politics to the fewer education opportunities given girl children as compared to their male counterpart.
“Girls were used to be serving as housekeepers while boys were given more opportunity to learn,” she said.
She was speaking at a community media forum in Pleabo City organized by Internews -Liberia to highlight women participation in the 2017 presidential and representative elections.
She said many women are also weary of aspiring for elected positions because of the unequal playing field dominated by men including cash-violence, and the use of profane languages against women.
Despite the dominance of men on the political scene in the country, there are “too much failures made by male representation over the years,” she said.
“Many years we elected men to represent [us] but they failed to meet our goals; this time around let women too do their best, [let’s see] if there will not be change,” she said.
“I strongly support for women to be part of the elections because a woman is like a mother, mother in the home knows the problems her children faced.”
She expressed optimism that women now have the “power’ to contest any position in the country.
“If more women become part of the next government things will change because I know women have sorrow heart (and won’t) to treat her children unfair, so this time let women enter the house more than even before to make our country a better place,” she said.
Report By: Micheal D.K Wroh