Senegal: Women in Politics

UNCLAS DAKAR 000165 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINS SOCI PINR SG SUBJECT: Senegal: Women in Politics ¶1. (SBU) Summary: In a series of conversations with some of Senegal's leading female political activists a picture has emerged of a gender that is becoming an increasingly important part of this country's complicated and yet sometimes monochromatic political environment. Today's political parties and movements are a far cry from past years where women were considered largely decorative, serving more as vote-getters rather than serious players. End Summary The Rise of Women in Politics -------------- ¶2. (SBU) "We're being taken more seriously nowadays as the men have seen how hard we are fighting for the same causes" opined Aminata Mbengue Ndiaye, the fearsome leader of the Socialist Party's (PS) Women's group and the party's number two ranked leader. Known as one who does not mince her words, Ndiaye said that women in Senegal are now better educated, no longer illiterate, aware of their political rights and that, ironically, Senegal's current economic downturn has been a boon for women; "These economic problems have empowered women in Senegal. We are the ones who run our families. We feed the children and the men. We know how hard life has become because everyday we have to manage meager funds to make sure that everyone can get by. It just underlines how smart we are and how innovative we have become." This point of view is one shared by the deputy leader of political party Jef/Jeul, Rahmet Sow, who agrees that the poor state of the economy has given women a lot of experience in managing money which has lead to an increase in entrepreneurialism; "Women are more adaptive. The men have given up. It's them who are out of work in this country not the women." Aminata Diallo, the dynamic head of the PS's female youth movement, observed that the Information Age has been crucial in the emancipation of women as they are now better educated, better informed and realize that staying at home is an option not an obligation. Obstacles Remain -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Still all three women admit inadequate financial independence is a significant obstacle to greater female participation because men continue to control the purse strings both at home and in government and that women will never be truly politically emancipated until they can attain financial independence. According to Sow, "The feminist revolution won't come from the elite; it will come from the countryside where women work and totally dominate the day-to-day management of their villages. All the men do is farm for 3 months a year and then sit around." She went on to say that strong and accomplished women who are interested in getting involved in politics are few and far between and that despite recent advances many of them are still being used and controlled by the men in their parties. Ndiaye agreed saying, "Too many decisions regarding the role of women are being made by men." However, a December 30, 2007 law ending fiscal discrimination which had caused women to pay higher taxes than men for the same salary is seen as a step in the right direction for women to achieve some level of financial independence. Fighting Tradition -------------- ¶4. (SBU) "Women in Senegal are their own worst enemies," said Fanta Diallo, leader of the non-political Mouvement Tekki's youth wing, "Because while we represent 52 percent of the electoral block we are unable to turn this majority into any meaningful progress: traditionally we are not trusted. This country is very stereotypical in that respect. Man is always presented as being strong, decisive, while women are cast in a different more subservient light and it has become very difficult to extract ourselves from this stigma. The role that women are assigned in Senegal is mostly managerial and not very political and I don't think that this is a solid foundation upon which to build a women's movement. Also, different tribes have different viewpoints and this complicates matters even more. Added to that is a misogynistic interpretation of Islam that has resulted in women being less educated than men. While this has improved greatly, we do have a lot of work to do but I believe that all our goals are achievable." Historian and feminist activist Penda MBow agreed saying, "The system of patriarchy is still alive and well." It is clear that Senegalese women in politics face opposition from some traditional leaders. The spokesperson of the Tijane Islamic brotherhood, for example, told Poloff that he was not a supporter of women exercising leadership responsibilities at national level. But Progress is being Made -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Diallo, believes that after the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) came to power, things changed for women in the PS as the party was forced to re-invent itself to stay relevant. Today the PS has 15 women in the party's top decision-making organ, the Political Bureau, as opposed to three in 2000. Statistically speaking, the number of women in the political arena has increased dramatically since the PDS came to power in 2000. The newly reconstituted 100-member Senate has 40 women and the parliament recently passed a law that would mandate gender parity in elections. President Abdoulaye Wade has been keen to increase the number of women in his cabinet and, despite firing five of his female ministers in the most recent re-shuffle, four encumber what are considered solid portfolios. Still given the importance of women in the voting population, Wade's attempts have so far been more symbolic than effective in promoting women in leadership positions. In the 2007 legislative elections only a handful of women were selected by the PDS to run at the district level from where 90 out of 150 parliamentary deputies are elected. It remains to be seen if the PDS will give a better chance to women in the May 2008 local elections where only one of Senegal's 320 rural communities is headed by a woman. ¶6. (SBU) Another crucial factor in the rise of women has been the support of Senegal's extremely influential Muslim religious leaders. Aminata Ndiaye says that while this support was unexpected it turns out that according to their interpretation, the Koran does not forbid women to work. Thus, while it may not sit well with many religious leaders to see women in politics, Ndiaye believes that the marabouts won't work to undermine them. For example, in 2003 when a group of prominent Muslim intellectuals lobbied the government to adopt a new family Code based on Sharia (Islamic Law),the country's leading marabouts, who were actually sympathetic to the idea, never opposed President Wade when he rejected the project. Comment -------------- ¶7. (SBU) while women in Senegal face many obstacles in their fight for political empowerment, there are signs that things are heading the right direction. The advent of the internet and more investment in the education system as well as the support of the religious brotherhoods in the education of young girls has translated into increasing opportunities for girls and women in Senegal. Still, Senegal remains a deeply conservative country bound by tradition and this will take time and patience to overcome. However, women leaders such as Aminata Mbengue Ndiaye are paving the way for the next generation of women leaders such as Fanta Diallo and Rahmet Sow who see a much more level playing field ahead. End Comment. SMITH