Comments on: A Gender-Biased Government http://www.laurencecaromba.com/2009/05/19/a-gender-biased-government/ Politics, culture and foreign affairs Sun, 31 Jul 2011 08:09:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Zille’s Cabinet: A Follow-Up | Laurence Caromba http://www.laurencecaromba.com/2009/05/19/a-gender-biased-government/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Zille’s Cabinet: A Follow-Up | Laurence Caromba Thu, 21 May 2009 15:07:23 +0000 http://www.laurencecaromba.com/?p=75#comment-11 [...] Mayibuye Magwaza thinks I’m letting the DA off the hook too easily in this post: Sure, you’re complaining about counting heads in parliament as a benchmark for gender [...] [...] Mayibuye Magwaza thinks I’m letting the DA off the hook too easily in this post: Sure, you’re complaining about counting heads in parliament as a benchmark for gender [...]

]]> By: Mayibuye Magwaza http://www.laurencecaromba.com/2009/05/19/a-gender-biased-government/comment-page-1/#comment-7 Mayibuye Magwaza Wed, 20 May 2009 15:30:23 +0000 http://www.laurencecaromba.com/?p=75#comment-7 I'm going to sort of back him up here. Sure, you're complaining about counting heads in parliament as a benchmark for gender equality. However, I think there's something to it. If the DA has failed to internally develop female leaders to the extent that Zille really couldn't find anyone decent for the Cabinet, something's wrong there. Who's heading up their branches? Was it really just coincidence? If an all male cabinet puts in pro-women policies, this doesn't escape the fact that the power brokers are still overwhelmingly male. It's not an issue of demanding that the DA 'window dress ' - they shouldn't have to window dress. If they've been paying attention to this issue, they should have more worthy, female candidates for high offices. Note: I haven't lost sight of the fact that Zille is female. One swallow doesn't make a summer, though. I’m going to sort of back him up here. Sure, you’re complaining about counting heads in parliament as a benchmark for gender equality. However, I think there’s something to it. If the DA has failed to internally develop female leaders to the extent that Zille really couldn’t find anyone decent for the Cabinet, something’s wrong there. Who’s heading up their branches? Was it really just coincidence?

If an all male cabinet puts in pro-women policies, this doesn’t escape the fact that the power brokers are still overwhelmingly male. It’s not an issue of demanding that the DA ‘window dress ‘ – they shouldn’t have to window dress. If they’ve been paying attention to this issue, they should have more worthy, female candidates for high offices.

Note: I haven’t lost sight of the fact that Zille is female. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, though.

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