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Advancing Women’s Equality   
Aug. 25, 2006—Women and men across the United States will celebrate Women’s Equality Day tomorrow to commemorate the Aug. 26, 1920 passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted women suffrage. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote. More than a century later, Kuwait was the most recent country to grant women suffrage. Kuwaiti women voted for the first time during that country’s June 29 parliamentary election. But despite having the right to vote in nearly every nation except six, today women hold less than 17 percent of all parliamentary seats worldwide. And, women are at the highest levels of public office in only a handful of countries. CEDPA is committed to ensuring women’s greater participation in local, national and global governance so that policies and resources reflect the needs of women and their families. In Egypt, where women were granted the right to vote nearly fifty years ago, CEDPA is working hand-in-hand with women leaders to strengthen their voting, advocacy and political leadership under the “Empowering Grassroots Egyptian Women through Advocacy Networks” project. Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative, it is implemented in partnership with the National Council of Women, community organizations, local media and religious leaders in six governorates of Egypt.
The Egyptian women’s networks also have successfully advocated for increased women’s voter registration in communities where women’s political participation is low. In the rural area of Minya, network members visited women in their homes to encourage them to vote in the 2005 Egyptian presidential election. Religious leaders also worked to convince husbands and male relatives to allow women to vote. As a result, network members in four governorates, including Minya, issued over 2,500 identification cards and voter registrations during the presidential elections. Women’s network members in other communities have successfully advocated for political and financial support for micro enterprise activities, activation of women’s health clubs, medical awareness campaigns and treatment, and support for women heads of households in Egypt. The project demonstrates that with training and technical assistance, women can become effective advocates and policy champions to improve communities—on Women’s Equality Day and throughout the year. Read more about CEDPA/Egypt’s “Empowering Grassroots Egyptian Women through Advocacy Networks” project. |
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