Dear Editor,

Women in Vanuatu made headlines recently with their call to the Government to commit to 50% representation for women in Parliament.

What is stopping women from securing seats in parliament?

There are many groupings of women leaders and too often the voice of women cannot be advanced at the national level because it is lost in the continuous infighting.

What is stopping women from believing in themselves and translating this trust into voting for women in elections?

Many political parties have announced their support and put women candidates to contest elections, yet it is obvious this support did not translate into votes because the results indicated otherwise.

Can any man out there give a honest answer as to why men are reluctant to vote for a woman leader, so we can have some insight?

After all, societal norms are such that many think it is perfectly normal for women to vote for men.

Yet men cannot seem to do the same, even for competent women leaders with excellent leadership qualities.

If our women leaders can prove they have united and have more than the verbal support of men, there wouldn’t be any need to ask for reserved seats.

Adeline

This letter was written to the Editor of the Vanuatu Daily Post