On Monday, the former defence minister published a statement on her Facebook page declaring she would “not be nominating as a candidate for another term as a Liberal Senator for Western Australia.”

“For forty years I have proudly served my nation in the Army, in the Liberal Party, in defence industry, in Parliament and in Government,” she explained. “In my career after the Senate, I will continue to serve, but in new ways.”

Reynolds was elected to the Senate for Western Australia in 2014, and re-elected in 2016 and 2019. Prior to that, she’d spent more than a decade holding vice-president and treasury positions at various local WA Liberal Party divisions. 

Her first cabinet role came in mid-2019, serving under the Morrison government as Minister for Defence Industry. Over the next several years, she would serve in other portfolios, including Minister for Emergency Management, Minister for Government Services, Minister for Defence and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. 

In her ‘Statement on Preselection’ published yesterday, Reynolds described her years serving in cabinet as “some of the most challenging times in our Nation’s recent history.”

She noted that being preselected and elected to the Senate was “a great honour and a privilege few Australians are afforded.”

“This is my tenth year in the Senate and my passion and commitment to my State and to my Nation remains as strong as ever.”

She went on to say it was “rare” for her to be in a position “to choose the time and circumstances of your departure,” and that her decision to leave politics was made “after considerable reflection of what is behind me and the opportunities that are now ahead of me.”

“Just as the health of our democracy can never be taken for granted, neither can the health of political parties – both must be constantly renewed and strengthened. I joined the Liberal Party over 35 years ago and my respect for, and belief in, the principles and values it was established on have only deepened over time.”

Addressing her party directly, she said that she “owe[s] the Liberal Party so much” and that she was “very grateful for the lifelong friendships I have made in the Party and for the overwhelming support I continue to receive from WA Liberal Party members and volunteers who have helped me over the last decade.”

In 2021, when she was Defence Minister, Reynolds faced intense scrutiny after former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins alleged she was sexually assaulted by then colleague Bruce Lehrmann in Reynolds’ ministerial office. Higgins was working as a media advisor to Senator Reynolds at the time. When she told Reynolds about the rape, Reynolds was horrified, according to Higgins, and asked her if she intended to go to the police.

“She said, ‘If you choose to go to the police we will support you in that process, but we just need to know ahead of time. We need to know now’,” Higgins told news.com.au.

Lehrmann has continued to deny the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the alleged rape of Higgins.

In 2021, Reynolds publicly apologised to Higgins for calling her “a lying cow” in February of that year and agreed to cover the legal costs.

“[I] did not mean it in the sense it may have been understood,” she wrote in a statement posted on her socials. “Given that the comment was made public, which I never intended, I also want to retract it and unreservedly apologise to Brittany Higgins and acknowledge the hurt and distress it caused to her.” 

Reynolds also promised to make a donation to a sexual assault charity as part of a confidential settlement with her. 

A criminal trial of Bruce Lehrmann on one charge of sexual assault in 2022 was derailed in the ACT Supreme Court following juror misconduct. A second trial was aborted by prosecutors after concerns were raised for Higgins’ mental health.

In late 2022, lawyers for Higgins were reported to be preparing to bring a civil claim against Reynolds and former Attorney-General Michaelia Cash for sexual harassment, discrimination, disability discrimination, negligence and victimisation.

In December, Higgins reached a settlement with the Commonwealth, with “the parties [agreeing] that the terms of the settlement are confidential.” 

In January last year, Reynolds launched a defamation case against Higgins and her fiance, David Sharaz, over tweets her lawyers said caused damage that were “inaccurate and professionally damaging” and that “cannot be underestimated.”

Months later, Reynolds sent a defamation concerns notice to Tanya Plibersek following an interview on Sunrise where Plibersek claimed that the crime to which Higgins was subject to “had been inappropriately investigated, even covered up by her employers.”

Reynolds told Plibersek she could “make amends” and avoid legal action by issuing a signed apology, withdrawing her comments, paying Reynolds’ legal costs and providing an “appropriate sum to compensate my client for the damage caused by the publication” within 28 days.

Reynolds’ statement yesterday did not mention anything pertaining to Higgins or these cases. She did however insist that she would “keep working” with her party to “diversify and strengthen” it. 

“Having achieved more than I set out to when I entered the Senate, there is no perfect time to leave politics, but this is the right time for me and for the WA Liberal Party to provide my successor with the same opportunities it has given me,” she concluded. 

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Simon Birmingham applauded Reynolds’ “distinguished career” in both parliament and the military. 

“From her service in the Australian Army to her tenure as a Liberal Senator for Western Australia, Linda has been a steadfast champion for our nation’s defence, national security, and the advancement of Australia,” he said in a statement.

“Linda’s strength, courage and dignity have been remarked upon by many. I have no doubt that in the years ahead Linda will continue to unwaveringly serve her community and our nation.”

Liberal MP Melissa Price commented on Reynolds’ Facebook post, saying, “Thank you for your service to the party and Senate Linda, although I have no doubt that you will find other avenues to contribute to our great nation. My friend, you will be missed.”

Reynolds will remain in the Senate until her term ends in June 2025.

The post Linda Reynolds announces plans to quit politics in 2025 appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Once in effect, the law could see the number of female lawmakers in parliament more than double. 

The Women’s Reservation Bill, which secured 454 votes and only two dissenters, can only begin to be implemented once electoral boundaries are drawn in a census — an operation that could take until the end of the decade.

It’s been 27 years since the bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha, the Indian parliament’s lower house.

Om Birla, the speaker of parliament, believes that Wednesday’s passing of the bill indicates a reduction of opposition over the last few years. 

“The proposal has been passed with more than a two-thirds majority of the members present in the house,” Birla told Al Jazeera.

Jagdeep S. Chhokar, cofounder of the civil society group Association for Democratic Reforms, described the imminent process as “complicated.”

“Those exercises will take at least two, three years, if not more,” he told the AFP news agency. “Therefore it can be implemented only around 2026-27, which is a long time in Indian politics.”

Opposition Congress leader, Sonia Gandhi told parliament her party was enthusiastic about the bill, though demanded a revision on it so that the law could be instated sooner. 

“Immediate implementation of the bill is not only necessary but also possible,” she said. “Any delay in implementing it will be injustice to women.”

“For the last 13 years, Indian women have been waiting for their political responsibilities, and now they are being asked to wait for a few more years — two years, four years, six years, eight years,” the former Congress chief continued. 

“It is the demand of the Indian National Congress that the bill be immediately implemented… but, along with that, provision should be made for the reservation of SC [Scheduled Castes], ST [Scheduled Tribes] and OBC [Other Backward Class] women after conducting a caste census.”

Parliamentary representation of women in the country of more than 1.4 billion is not healthy — after the last national election in 2019, just 104 among a total of 788 MPs were women. That’s a figure of just over 13 per cent.

According to the Global Data on National Parliaments — a list of 193 countries and their percentage of elected women representatives in their national parliaments, India currently ranks 148. 

Women’s overall participation in the labour force is declining — according to the latest data from the World Bank, less than 1 in 5 Indian women have paid employment.

Vandana Chavan, a Rajya Sabha member from the Nationalist Congress Party, hopes that an increase in female representation will lead to material changes for woman in India. 

“There are so many women-related issues coming to the forefront like safety of women, nutrition among others,” she recently said. “We believe that if society has to change, it has to change with women coming to the forefront who account for half of the country’s population.”

The post India passes bill reserving one third of parliament seats for women appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The group of 38 women was led by the House of Councillors member Rui Matsukawa, who heads the LDP’s Women’s Affairs Division in Japan.

During the study tour, Matsukawa reflected upon the trip on her socials, describing it as “very meaningful to exchange opinions with French legislators and government officials on issues such as compulsory early childhood education from the age of 3, measures to combat the declining birth rate, and women’s empowerment in politics.” 

Accompanying the post was a picture of herself with two other colleagues in front of the Eiffel Tower with their arms raised, evidently to imitate the tower. 

“With my fellow members from Osaka,” she wrote. 

Who knew that such an innocent and playful snapshot would cause outrageous levels of backlash from people in Japan? 

First reported in the leading Japanese newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun, the picture was condemned by members of the public, some calling it “a deviation from  public standards.”

Other comments include, “They look too excited,” “Is this a company trip?” and “I feel nothing but disgust.”

Some questioned the legitimacy of their study trip, posing the question: “What the heck is this pose? If you are traveling with your buddies, please go at your own expense.”

Another wrote — “Do you send your messages knowing the reality that ordinary people can’t afford to travel abroad?”

Yet another compared the picture to “a school trip.” 

“How could she (post such flippant photos) while people are struggling with tax hikes and high prices?” one commenter asked.

It seems that often, the smallest actions made by female politicians are criticised by absurd and disproportionate opposition. 

One male political commentator told Asahi Shimbun, “[Matsukawa] should never have posted photos that could be interpreted as a sightseeing trip.”

“Given that the party sent them, taxpayer’s money could have been used in the form of political party subsidies,” he explained, adding, “Considering the fact that the high cost of living has made it difficult for some people to travel abroad, Matsukawa could have anticipated the kind of reaction her photos would generate.” 

A few days after her original post, Matsukawa released a public apology on her socials, writing,

“I am sorry that my posts have caused misunderstanding about the training program, even though it is a serious and substantial one.” 

“The 38 participants are local legislators and citizens who belong to women’s affairs divisions nationwide and who are in leadership roles there. The cost of the tour was covered by the party and each participant paid their own expenses.”

Facing reporters in Tokyo earlier this month, Matsukawa said she had spoken to the chairwoman of the LDP’s Party Organization and Campaign Headquarters, Yuko Obuchi, and deleted some of the images from her Paris trip from her socials. 

“I apologise for causing any misunderstanding,” she said. “I didn’t mean to give the impression that the trip was anything but a serious program full of content.”

The whole affair is reminiscent of the backlash Finland’s Prime Minister, Sanna Marin faced last year after two private videos were leaked showing her partying with friends at a house gathering and at a famous night-club in Helsinki.

You can see for yourself that the picture of Matsukawa and her colleagues is undeniably playful and fun. When every part of a woman’s actions is picked apart and analysed, is it no wonder Japanese women are reluctant to enter office? 

The latest World Economic Forum report measuring gender parity ranked Japan 125th out of 146 countries — its gender parity in political engagement was one of the world’s lowest, at 138th. Among Tokyo’s 23 mayors of the main districts, only three are women. 

Satoko Kishimoto, the first female mayor in the history of Suginami, told BBC earlier this year: “We have to recognise as a national crisis this under-representation of women in politics. Women’s representation has stayed almost the same for 75 years.”

“I really want to debate policies,” she added. “But [a lot of] time is wasted in the city council addressing criticism and personal attacks.”

Politicians have a right to fun, just like anybody else. Unfortunately, presenting an authentic image of yourself as an ordinary, playful human travelling to a foreign country is too much for some.

The post Posing in front of the Eiffel Tower attracts criticism of female Japanese politicians appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The proposal will be discussed at the party’s national policy platform conference in August where it is expected to attract support.

The quota will require the party to select culturally diverse and Indigenous candidates in an effort to increase the number of MPs from non-English-speaking backgrounds. 

In Australia, almost 30 per cent of people were born overseas and almost half have a parent born overseas, according to the 2021 Census of Population and Housing.

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Senator Stewart, who was the youngest First Nations woman to be elected in Federal Parliament, told the Herald the proposal will extend the party’s existing gender quotas and bank on their multiculturalism. 

“In this day and age, it’s unacceptable not to reflect our community,” she said. “The Australian community want to see their leaders look more like them.” 

“It’s an opportunity for the party to be leading the way when it comes to representing the community we serve.”

Senator Stewart, a first-term senator, added that despite the success of gender quotas in accomplishing gender balance within the party, “they haven’t worked for multicultural communities and First Nations communities.”

“Women and men of colour have been left behind; it’s time to undertake the work to address the gap,” she said. 

The Age reports that Stewart’s proposal is yet to define ‘diversity’ or explicitly state the quota figures, though the Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba Senator hopes to apply the policy across all levels of the party, including its rank-and-file base and internal positions.

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“I’m keen to add a colour lens to all that we do and doing the internal work is just as important as anything else we do,” she said. 

On top of the new quota, the party’s conference will also debate other policy proposals to determine Albanese government’s election platform, including Australia’s foreign and defence policies, the AUKUS submarine deal and the issue of recognition of Palestine.

According to The Age, a draft of the national platform will be finalised by the party’s national policy forum in Sydney next week. 

The post Labor’s proposed affirmative action quota could boost cultural diversity appeared first on Women's Agenda.

“I’m Nikki Haley, and I’m running for president,” she said in the video.

Known as South Carolina’s first woman and first person of colour to be elected governor in 2010, when she was just 38, Haley decided to throw her name in the presidential race — after weeks of speculation and rumours.  

She was an accountant before taking over from Larry Koon in 2004 as a member of South Carolina’s state house of representatives. In 2016, when Trump won the presidency, Haley was appointed US ambassador to the UN — a role she kept until 2018. 

Let’s take a look at who she is, what she stands for and the reactions to her announcement.

Daughter of Indian Immigrants 

Haley is the child of immigrants from India. She has publicly expressed the importance of her race, gender and ethnicity in establishing her values as a politician and what she hopes to change for the country. 

“I was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. Not black, not white. I was different,” she said in her announcement video. 

“But my mum would always say, ‘Your job is not to focus on the differences, but the similarities.’

“Some look at our past as evidence that America’s founding principles are bad.” 

“They say the promise of freedom is just made up. Some think our ideas are not just wrong, but racist, and evil. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Her family’s personal experience with racism has led her to back a range of social justice issues, including the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina Capitol after the 2015 Charleston church shootings. 

At the time, Haley recounted an incident when she was a child, watching her father endure the shame of having two police officers stand by waiting to watch him pay for items at a produce stand.

“I remember how bad that felt,” she had said. “And my dad went to the register, shook their hands, said thank you, paid for his things and not a word was said going home. I knew what had just happened.”

“That produce stand is still there, and every time I drive by it, I still feel that pain. I realised that that Confederate flag was the same pain that so many people were feeling.”

A week after the shootings, Haley said “We are not going to allow this symbol to divide us any longer.”

“The fact that people are choosing to use it as a sign of hate is something we cannot stand. The fact that it causes pain to so many is enough to move it from the Capitol grounds. It is, after all, a Capitol that belongs to all of us.”

What does she stand for?

Despite being the child of immigrants, Haley is tough on immigration: in June 2011, in her first year as governor, she signed a bill that required police to check the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest for any reason at all and suspect may be in the US illegally.

Voto Latino, a Washington-D.C based organisation that aims to encourage young Hispanic and Latino voters to register to vote, released a statement in the last 24 hours reminding the public of Haley’s decision to sign “a discriminatory and regressive … measure that allowed police officers to require the immigration papers of anyone [who] is stopped and suspected of being in the country without documentation”. 

She is big on education reform. In 2014, she signed a bill that redistributed money to districts with the highest poverty levels, providing $US29 million to place reading coaches in every South Carolina school.

A further $US29 million was provided to help schools with improving tech, including bandwidth, expand wireless access and ensuring every student has access to computer or tablet.

“We said technology is not just for wealthy school districts, it’s for all school districts,” Haley said at the time.

“We can no longer in South Carolina educate children based on where they live. We have to educate children based on that they deserve a good education.”

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Her announcement

“You should know this about me: I don’t put up with bullies,” Haley said in her three and a half minute video. “And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels.” 

She spoke about the importance of believing in the promise of freedom in the U.S; a country she called the “freest and greatest in the world.” 

“Some think our ideas are racist, and wrong — nothing could be further from the truth.” 

She goes on to list the human rights violations in other countries, including China (“they commit genocide”) and Iran (“They murder their own people for challenging the government”). 

“Republicans have lost the popular vote in 7 out of the 8 presidential elections, but that has to change,” she continued, before calling Joe Biden’s current administration “abysmal”.

“The Washington establishment has failed us over and over again. It’s time for a new generation of leadership,” she said.

“To rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our borders and strengthen our country our pride and our purpose.”

Reactions to her announcement:

Apparently, Trump, 76, isn’t too fussed about Haley’s presidential bid. Last month, he told reporters: “She called me and said she’d like to consider it. And I said you should do it.” 

His Make America Great Again MAGA committee however sang a different tune, releasing a statement on Tuesday calling Haley “just another career politician.” 

“She started out as a Never Trumper before resigning to serve in the Trump admin,” Taylor Budowich, Head of MAGA said. “She then resigned early to go rake in money on corporate boards. Now, she’s telling us she represents a ‘new generation.’ Sure just looks like more of the same, a career politician whose only fulfilled commitment is to herself.”

The Democratic party also unleashed some criticism, accusing Haley of embracing “the most extreme elements” of Maga’s agenda.

“She … couldn’t even identify a policy difference between herself and Trump,” the Democratic’s national chairperson, Jaime Harrison, said in statement issued after Haley’s announcement. 

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“Her governorship in South Carolina included signing an extreme abortion ban into law with no exceptions for rape or incest, endorsing a plan to end Medicare as we know it, pushing for tax cuts that benefit the ultra wealthy and corporations, and refusing to expand Medicaid to provide affordable health care access for hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians.” 

At this stage, Trump and Haley are the only two Republicans who have announced their presidential bid, while ten Democrats have launched campaigns or exploratory committees. 

The post Who is the woman taking on Trump for President?  appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The 32-year old former member of Afghanistan’s parliament was a lawmaker in the Afghan parliament before the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021.

Police have not revealed any further details regarding the shooters, and there is no evidence to suggest the current government were involved in her death — according to Ali Latifi, a Kabul-based journalist. 

“Unless a group like Daesh claims responsibility for her death, there is no reason to believe there was any ulterior motive behind her death,” Latifi told DW, referring to the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

Police issued a statement on Sunday morning, revealing that they “very soon took action and started an investigation of the case.”

“No one has been arrested and the investigation is continuing,” they added. Police spokesperson Khalid Zadran revealed that the motive for the killing remains unclear.

“A comprehensive investigation of the incident is underway,” Zadran tweeted on Monday.

The charge d’affaires of the United States’ mission to Afghanistan, Karen Decker, hopes the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

“Angered, heartbroken by murder of Mursal Nabizada – a tragic loss,” she said. “I offer Mursal’s family my condolences and hope to see them receive justice for this senseless act.”

Nabizada was one of only a handful of parliamentarians to stay in Afghanistan after the Taliban took complete control of the country in the wake of the departure of the US and military allies.

According to Shinkai Karokhail, a former member of Parliament who served with Nabizada before the Taliban takeover, Nabizada wanted to leave the country but chose to stay because she could not find a way to bring her family with her. 

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“She was young, energetic and productive,” Karokhail told The New York Times. “It was her first experience serving in government and she was always busy working for her constituents.”

Tirana Hassan, the Interim Executive Director at Human Rights Watch, noted the important work Nabizada did by staying, saying she remained in Afghanistan “…to fight for rights of women and girls.” 

In 2018, Nabizada was elected as a member of the lower house of parliament to represent Kabul, serving as a member of the parliamentary defense commission while working for the Institute for Human Resources Development and Research.

She has previously spoken out against the Taliban’s expanding oppression of women and girls’ rights in the country. 

Appearing on a local television network last August, she addressed her anxieties about the realities for women and girls under Taliban rule. 

“Now women are imprisoned at home,” she said. “They have responsibilities for their families, they must work. Women are in a very bad situation, that is, they are buried alive in the grave.”

Her murder comes as the Taliban continues to restrict women’s rights — universities have been forced to separate their classes by gender, women have been required to wear head coverings while in class, female classes have only been taught by female teachers or older men, and girls have been banned from attending high school entirely. 

The post 32yo former Afghan lawmaker murdered in her Kabul home appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Last week, the Missouri State House of Representatives changed its dress code for female lawmakers in a ruling that was introduced by Republican State Representative Ann Kelley, who said the new policy for women would mimic the dress code for male lawmakers – who are required to wear a jacket, shirt and tie.

“[It] is essential to always maintain a formal and professional atmosphere” Kelley said in the House.

“You would think that all you would have to do is say, ‘Dress professionally,’ and women could handle it. You would think elected officials could handle that.”

The resolution mandates: “Proper attire for women shall be business attire, including jackets worn with dresses, skirts, or slacks, and dress shoes or boots.” 

“For the purposes of this rule, ‘jacket’ shall include blazers, cardigans, and knit blazers.”

The change to the dress code has sparked arguments about women’s right to wear what they want, and some Democratic lawmakers are calling it sexist and pointless.

Secretary of the Missouri branch of the National Organization for Women, Jamie Tomek, remarked that she was “outraged” by the updated dress code. 

“We have a Republican Legislature, so they think they have time to spend on those kinds of things, as opposed to real issues that citizens of Missouri need dealing with,” she said.

Democrat State Representative Raychel Proudie agreed, saying that a dress code change was not necessary.

“I think we’re being quite pedantic here by making rules so petty,” she said in the chamber. “And what it will ultimately lead to is the disenfranchisement of folks.” 

“For example, they don’t make jackets or blazers for women who are pregnant. That can be very uncomfortable.”

On the same day, Democratic State Representative Ashley Aune, said that a “gentleman in this room” had once confronted her about her attire. 

“You know what it feels like to have a bunch of men in this room looking at your top trying to decide whether it’s appropriate or not?” she said.

Aune addressed Kelley directly about the revised rule. “I mean, this is ridiculous,” she said.

Kelley replied: “Why should we talk about something like this? It is absolutely ridiculous.” 

“You brought this to the floor, lady,” Aune answered. “You tell me.”

After the ruling was officially passed last Wednesday, Kelley announced on Facebook that she received “lots of hateful calls, emails, and messages in regards to this amendment, which is funny because we already have a dress code.”

The post Backlash after Missouri’s female lawmakers become required to wear a blazer or cardigan inside the chamber appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The previous record was nine women serving as governor simultaneously, set initially in 2004 and matched in 2007 and 2009.

Seven states — Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Mexico, Michigan and South Dakota, reelected their incumbent governors, while three female candidates in Arkansas, Massachusetts and Oregon – were elected for the first time.

New York’s first female Governor, Kathy Hochul also won her race, beating her main opponent, Republican Lee Zeldin. Hochul took over after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in 2021 over a series of sexual harassment allegations against him. 

In Arizona, the governor’s race is still too close to call – though the winner is guaranteed to be a woman — both candidates, Democrat Katie Hobbs and Republican Kari Lake, are female. 

Republican Governor Kay Ivey will continue serving in Alabama, Kim Reynolds will continue to serve as the Republican Governor in Iowa, Laura Kelly continues her leadership in Kansas and Janet Mills will continue serving as Governor of Maine. New Mexico also reelected their incumbent governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, as did Michigan, with Gretchen Whitmer and Kristi Noem in South Dakota.

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For Arkansas, New York and Massachusetts, it’s the first time a female governor has been elected. 

The latest elections also mark a record number of gubernatorial races between two women. 

In Alabama, Arizona, Iowa and Michigan, both major party nominees were female. In Oregon, three women were the major candidates — Democrat Tina Kotek, who won, Republican Christine Drazan and independent candidate Betsy Johnson.

Oregon is also celebrating its first ever openly lesbian women governor, Democrat Tina Kotek. During her time as former state House speaker, the 56-year old passed a series of progressive legislations such as raising the state’s minimum wage and making Oregon the first state with statewide rent control.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey also became the state’s first openly lesbian women governor, after she beat former state Rep. Geoff Diehl in an overwhelming defeat. The 51-year old Democrat campaigned on expanding affordable housing, advancing green jobs, and improving public transportation.

The post Record number of women to serve as US Governors in 2023 appeared first on Women's Agenda.

For the first time in 25 years, China’s Politburo, the government’s second most powerful group and its executive policymaking body contains all-male membership.

China’s even more exclusive group, the seven-member Standing Committee has never welcomed a woman into its membership, but for the past two decades there’s always been at least one female representative in the 25-member Politburo. 

While it was expected that a woman wouldn’t be named to the Standing Committee, many held out hope that following the recent retirement of the Politburo’s sole female representative, vice premier Sun Chunlan, another woman would be named in her place to maintain tradition. 

The country’s only woman to hold the title of provincial party secretary, Shen Yiqin was a strong contender for Chunlan’s position, but unfortunately the spot was filled by a man. 

Yiqin is one of only 11 other women in the 205-member Central Committee and would likely have been a powerful voice had she been promoted. 

This 5 per cent representation in the Central Committee and 0 per cent representation in any higher position means that the nearly 700 million women living in China have extremely little power in shaping policy. 

Mingly Chen, a Senior lecturer at the University of Sydney studying gender and politics in China tells the New York Times that this lack of representation, “certainly [sends] a message that the Chinese Communist Party does not have an interest in advancing women’s political status.”

“The Chinese Communist Party really is still a patriarchal institution.”

Women in China face a true uphill battle when it comes to entering political systems, and in the Communist party’s 70-year rule, most female political candidates have only managed to break into decision-making positions as a result of marrying powerful men or being used as propaganda tools. 

There are also cultural expectations in China that limit womens’ ability to be successful in politics. They’re forced to take on the role of carer in the home and many are expected to retire at age 55, putting a stop to their careers just when they might be reaching a professional peak. 

Feminist discussion has also been actively stamped out by the Communist party over the past few years. While the MeToo movement grew in the West, Chinese officials have censored claims of sexual assault and arrested women protesting for their rights. 

One high profile example of this occurred last year when tennis champion Peng Shuai went missing for four weeks after publicly accusing former vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. Shuai has since been found but keeps a low-profile for her safety and Gaoli was present and in the front row among ranks of dignitaries at the Party congress this week.

In his speech at the opening of Communist Party congress last Sunday, president Xi pledged to “adhere to the basic state policy of gender equality,” but without any representation of female leadership in the Politburo, the party’s poor record of promoting women looks to be getting worse. 

Many academics are also pointing out a concern in China’s falling birthrate. An increase in pressure on young people to have children could see more women forced into domestic work and further away from political leadership positions. 

The post Where are the women?: Zero female representation in China’s Politburo for the first time in 25 years appeared first on Women's Agenda.

“Following some recent tests I was found to have a large tumour on my kidney. It would be no surprise for me to tell you this was quite a shock.” 

The 39-year old Londonderry MP assured her constituents that the “prognosis is looking positive.”

“I will be taking some leave for cancer treatment over the coming weeks. Unfortunately this means I won’t be able to see you out and about our community for a little while.” 

Sharing the devastating news on her Facebook page too, Car added she was looking forward to “being back out and about soon fighting for our community.”

“I am buoyed by such loving support from my wonderful family, friends, colleagues and my beloved local community – thank you for your support.”

On her Facebook post, she acknowledged the “hard working, compassionate, skilled but overworked doctors, nurses and allied health professionals who are guiding me through this process”.

NSW Treasurer and Minister for Energy Matt Kean was one of the hundreds of individuals on Twitter, responding to Car’s latest news.

“Wishing you a speedy recovery. Cheering for you all the way.”

Member for Maitland, Jenny Aitchinson, wrote: “All my love and strength to you Prue. You need to take care of you now, so you can continue your outstanding care and service to your community ASAP. Your team is fabulous and we are all behind you.”

Labor Councillor Linda Scott wrote: “Sending love @pruecar – we’re all here for you if you need anything at all. You’re strong and you’ve got this. x”

Car is a former Penrith City Councillor and has been the shadow minister for education and early childhood since 2019. She was previously an advisor to Bob Carr (then Labor premier) between 2003 to 2005.

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“I guess cleaning up Trump’s mess — ketchup and all — is assumed to be women’s work!” Comstock, told Politico. 

Comstock, a former Virginia Republican, made her latest comments in response to last month’s testimony made by several of Trump’s former female aides who testified before a panel investigating the January 6 Capitol attack. 

One of the women who testified was former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who told the panel that her former boss had thrown his lunch against the wall when he learned that Attorney General Bill Barr had denied any evidence of widespread election fraud. Trump has denied Hutchinson’s accounts.

Hutchinson told the panel that in December 2020, around the time Barr’s comments were publicly disclosed, she saw a White House valet in the dining room, changing a tablecloth.

“I first noticed there was ketchup dripping down the wall and there was a shattered porcelain plate on the floor,” Hutchinson said. 

“The valet had articulated that the president was extremely angry at the Attorney General’s AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall.”

Hutchinson told the panel she helped the valet by grabbing a towel and wiping the ketchup off the wall. 

“He said something to the effect of, ‘He’s really ticked off about this. I would stay clear of him for right now,'” she said.

Hutchinson also recounted a number of incidents when she was aware of Trump either throwing dishes or flipping the table cloth during fits of rage in the White House.

Trump later responded to Hutchinson’s testimony on Truth Social.

“Her Fake story that I tried to grab the steering wheel of the White House Limousine in order to steer it to the Capitol Building is ‘sick’ and fraudulent, very much like the Unselect Committee itself,” he wrote.

“Wouldn’t even have been possible to do such a ridiculous thing. Her story of me throwing food is also false…and why would SHE have to clean it up, I hardly knew who she was?” 

Several former aides have recently spoken out against Trump, including former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, former communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin, ex-deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews, and ex-Trump national security official Olivia Troye. 

Troye, 45, a former top aide to former Vice President Mike Pence, described the experience of coming forward as “lonely.”

“… part of it for me was to make sure that they knew that even though it feels lonely – they bully, they intimidate, they want to make you feel like there’s no one left in the world, that’s kind of the point – for me it was important for them to know I wasn’t going to waver on them and there would be others,” she said. 

Barbara Comstock has praised the women who have publicly testified.

“I’ve had women friends contact me to say they want to support these women because they are the kind of stand-up women we’d all like to have as staff and hope we were as staff or members. And they know it can be lonely when you stand up,” she said. 

Comstock has continued the public criticism of Trump and his administration — this week, she denounced Trump’s senior male aides for refusing or dragging their feet to speak with the panel. 

In April, former White House counsel Pat Cipollone appeared before the panel, though for weeks after, he was asked back to make additional testimony. In late June, lawmakers were finally able to have him subpoenaed.

Last week, a range of US media outlets including New York Times reported that the panel had finally reached a deal to interview Cipollone.

Comstock insisted that he had to be “…dragged to testify after Cassidy.”

The panel’s top Republican, Committee vice chair Liz Cheney, said she was “moved” by the actions of unnamed “young women.”

At speech at the Ronald Reagan presidential library earlier this month, Cheney said it was “…young women who seem instinctively to understand the peril of this moment for our democracy, and young women who know that it will be up to them to save it.” 

“And I have been incredibly moved by the young women that I have met and that have come forward to testify in the January 6th Committee,” she said.

“Some of these are young women who worked on the Trump campaign, some worked in the Trump White House, some who worked in offices on Capitol Hill, all who knew immediately that what happened that day must never happen again.”

Image: J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photo 

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Gallagher was a regular and reliable fixture of Albanese’s campaign trail and brings a wealth of experience and policy nous to her portfolios. As Minister for Women, Gallagher will be responsible for improving outcomes for Australian women over the next three years.

What should you know about the new Minister for Women?

Katy Gallagher was born Canberra in 1970. She graduated from the Australian National University in 1991 with a degree in politics and sociology, and was a union organiser with the Community and Public Sector Union before entering politics. Gallagher is a mother of three children.

She first entered politics in 2001, when she was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly, where she served for 13 years eventually becoming the ACT’s Chief Minister. In 2014, she made the switch to federal politics, becoming a federal Senator for the ACT.

During her maiden speech in federal parliament in 2015, Gallagher spoke about the need for women to be better represented in Australian politics.

“I cannot really pinpoint the exact reason why I chose politics, in 2000, although the lack of women members in the assembly ranked highly,” she said.

“It is disappointing to me that in 2015 women remain so under-represented across Australian parliaments. Women constitute just under 30 per cent of all elected representatives across Australia and hold just 25 per cent of all ministries across all parliaments.

“We must re-commit across party lines to encourage more women into political organisations, to support them when they are there and mentor them into roles and positions within parties and across parliaments.”

She also spoke about responsible economic management and looking after the most vulnerable members of society.

“I believe that governments should manage their budget in an economically responsible manner and at the same time invest in and provide for their citizens, particularly the most vulnerable,” she said. “I believe that universal access to health and education, affordable housing, fair wages and conditions and pensions are fundamental components of any social contract in a fair minded and prosperous country.”

Last month, former prime minister Julia Gillard endorsed Gallagher as a candidate for an ACT Senate seat, calling her a “strong, experienced” politician, a “good friend” and “strong advocate for the values that matter to Canberrans”.

“As a voter living in the ACT, you have the opportunity to make sure we keep one of our best, brightest and strongest women in the Senate,” Gillard said.

In her new capacity as Finance Minister, Gallagher has been quick to point to the need for budget repair and greater fiscal discipline, as Australia grapples with a record amount of debt. She recently told the ABC’s Insiders that she is focused on prioritising government spending that delivers an economic dividend and benefits all Australians.

She has also spoken about the government’s commitment to delivering cleaner, cheaper energy, childcare reform, boosting skills to drive economic growth, as well as looking at an audit of the previous government’s spending decisions.

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