Women refute 'sex for favours' stigma

 

The workshop on 'Gender is not about women; it's about development' attracted the women's wings of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Botswana Congress Party (BCP), the Botswana National Front (BNF) and the Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM).

Making the first presentation after group discussions, ex-BNF vice president, Kathleen Letshabo said that women in political leadership were faced with several challenges which say that women in politics turn themselves into men after assuming office.

Letshabo stated that women politicians were accused of promiscuity. She raised concern about perceptions that women are not capable and had a tendency to divorce their partners once elected.

'People feel threatened and they want to discourage us,' she argued. Letshabo challenged women to stand up and combat reports that they were not capable or competent to hold political office like men.

'If the criticism is genuine, take it and use it to better yourself,' she said. Concurring with Letshabo, the BDP activist from Gabane constituency, Tshepo Wareus said that many women were afraid to venture into politics because of the stigma associated with women politicians.

'Once you win, the spotlight is on you all the time,' adding that because women were thought to be the weaker sex, men who gravitate towards them due to their political positions instantly assume sexual relationships.

'We all have different personalities, and therefore cannot be judged in the same light,' said Wareus.

She reasoned that the best way for women in politics to overcome such situations was to soldier on irrespective of the ever-mounting challenges.

Also presenting at the workshop BNF's, Rhoda Sekgororoane said that despite all the negative stories to discredit women, some women had a tendency of developing a superiority complex once elected.

'They see themselves as special,' further arguing that such minor things delayed progress because they attracted bad publicity about women.

'The 'pull her down' syndrome exists. There is also jealously and ignorance from women despite their agitation in favour of the achievement as women,' she lashed out.

Sekgororoane also observed that men were trying to make women invisible. She indicated that throughout the years many women have been taught political leadership and how to campaigns but it was regrettable that when parties go to the polls women were deliberately made invisible.

'We only want to see ourselves in workshops like this ones,' said the BNF veteran. BDP's Shirley Segokgo indicated that it was important for women to map out what they aspired for because there were a lot of issues that came with aspiring for political office.

'We come over a hell lot of issues which include dealing with criticism,' she reasoned.

She stated that determination and achievement could dissuade all sorts of criticism. 

Earlier during the day when opening the workshop, Minister of Works and Transport, Lesego Motsumi appealed for media programmes producers in both print and television such as 'Matlho a Phage' and other media programmes to cover women visibility in society.

Motsumi said that during the 2005 Beijing conference it was concluded that there was a need to ensure that women voices are heard equally in the media.

'It is for such reasons that workshops such as this one are vital and we wish that they are held frequently. They should not wait until a later time when elections around the corner,' she said.

She advised full coverage of women in parliament and council level to enable voters to know the role women play and the contributions women make at a political level. The workshop continued yesterday at Oasis Motel in Gaborone.