12 April 2021 EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, 12 APRIL 7:00 AM CET

Open letter to world leaders: Give women an equal “seat” at the table

It is estimated that it will take 145.5 years to attain parity between men and women in politics. Not only is women’s access to entering politics around the world hindered by structural, socioeconomic, institutional, and cultural barriers, but also those who have managed to break the political glass ceiling can be confronted with yet more barriers once in high offce. The #SofaGate incident sadly reminds us that leadership is still considered a men’s game.

Today, despite the many achievements made by women in decision-making positions, a culture of distrust in and lack of respect for their capabilities still persists. Evidence provided by the Reykjavík Index for Leadership indicates that society has not become much more progressive in how it views women's suitability for leadership roles. This creates a signifcant challenge for women leaders around the world. Parity is not just about numbers; it is also about infuence. Even after reaching the top, women leaders can still be distanced from the centre of action. What better way to understand this issue than to see the woman President of the European Union Commission side-lined while two male leaders “talked politics and policy”?

It is high time to get rid of harmful stereotypes, change the image of the leadership roles which continues to be centred around men, and ensure mutual respect and equality between men and women in the political and decision-making arenas. We need male leaders working as allies and agents of change to dismantle perceptions of prejudice, and not to perpetuate them.

To women leaders, as stated by Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm already some 50 years ago, the advice still holds: “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

Signed by Members of the Women Political Leaders (WPL) Board:

Helen Clark - Chair of the WPL Board; Prime Minister of New Zealand (1999-2008); UNDP Administrator (2009-2017); Member of the Council of Women World Leaders

Silvana Koch-Mehrin - President & Founder of Women Political Leaders (WPL); Vice-President of the European Parliament (2009-2011); Member of the European Parliament (2004-2014) Obiageli “Oby” Katryn Ezekwesili - Economic and Public Policy Expert and Senior Economic Adviser to the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI); World Bank Vice-President, Africa Region (2007-2012)

Rosalía Arteaga - President of Ecuador (1997); Executive President of the FIDAL Foundation

Jewel Howard-Taylor - Vice President and President of the of ; Chairperson, Senate’s Health and Social Welfare Committee on Gender, Women and Children, Liberia

Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca - President of Malta (2014-2019); President of Eurochild; Member of the Council of Women World Leaders

Nurhayati Ali Assegaf - Vice Chairwoman of the Democratic Party (Partai Demokrat) of Indonesia; President of Geneva Council for International Affairs and Development (GCIAD)

Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir - Chair of the Reykjavík Global Forum Board; Minister of Interior of Iceland (2013-2014); Member of Parliament of Iceland (2013-2016); Mayor of Reykjavík (2008-2010)

---ENDS ---