| 8/18/2009 3:00:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| WORKING FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS: Hanover College professor Mi Yung Yoon has been working to improve the rights and opportunities of women in Tanzania, and has been involved in getting more women to work together politically in that nation. (Staff photo by Ken Ritchie) |
| "Women know what the needs are of the people much more than men; many work 18 hour days and are aware of issues that men are not. It only makes sense that they should play a bigger role in government. It is proven - when women have been involved, economic development plans affected by a growing global economy work better."
Hanover College Professor Mi Yung Yoon on the political role of women in Africa
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Hanover professor's research
affects, influences foreign politics
Pat Whitney
Courier Staff Writer
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ended an 11-day tour of Africa by meeting with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf last week, emphasizing the Obama administration's interest in Africa and pushing for democratic reform.
Few researchers have as much expertise on women's political roles in Africa as Hanover College's professor of international studies Mi Yung Yoon, who has spent years studying African women in government.
There are even fewer researchers whose work might affect political change in an African country.
Yoon's scholarly journal, "Special Seats for Women in the National Legislature: The Case of Tanzania," was published last year by the Indiana University Press. She said it is the only known work of its kind, and the National Assembly in Swahili said it is the most thorough work on the gender quota system for women in the Tanzanian legislature.
Yoon has received much attention and recognition for her work from politicians, academics and women's non-governmental organizations in Tanzania. Anne Makinda, deputy speaker of the Tanzanian parliament, wrote in a letter to Yoon: "We are following your research; it is well read. You produced a very commendable work. Congratulations on the well done job."
The United Republic of Tanzania began political reform and the shift toward gender equity in parliament during the mid-1980s. Yoon, who has taught international relations at Hanover for 16 years, made trips to Tanzania in 2007 and 2008 to interview parliamentarians for the special-seat project.
"I was interested in the special seat system and how it has evolved, and whether the special-seat system undermines women's competitiveness in the constituencies, as some analysts say," she said.
"Tanzanian women were very active in the country's struggle for liberation. After independence, the women got loud, saying: 'We fought hard. Now we are excluded from decision-making?'"
An African specialist, Yoon has visited the continent 10 times. A Korean-American born and raised in South Korea and educated in the U.S., Yoon examined the correlation between women's occupation of special seats and women's empowerment in such areas as the economy, education and participation in the labor force.
Yoon cited the importance of gender quotas in creating opportunities for African women and making positive societal changes. Her research also suggests that, although women in Tanzania may have a greater voice in government, they sometimes refuse to cross party lines and don't always vote with Tanzanian women in mind.
Just shy of 30 percent of the seats in the Tanzanian parliament are occupied by women. Tanzania is one of a few African countries that meet the 30-percent target for women's parliamentary representation in a country where 80 percent of agriculture sector jobs are held by women. At full capacity, 75 seats out of 223 are reserved for women.
In her article, Yoon noted that well-educated women who decide to run for elective office commonly face threats, insults and sexual harassment during their campaigns. Special seats avoid that.
"Well-qualified women choose the special-seat system - it's easiest," she said.
"Women know what the needs are of the people much more than men; many work 18 hour days and are aware of issues that men are not. It only makes sense that they should play a bigger role in government. It is proven - when women have been involved, economic development plans affected by a growing global economy work better."
In Rwanda, an east-central African country bordering Tanzania, women make up 56.3 percent of the parliament, the highest percentage of women holding legislative seats in the world, and a significantly higher percentage than U.S. or European governments due to the gender quota, Yoon said.
"I found that female members of parliament view special seats positively. According to them, special seats provide parliamentary experience, national name recognition, competence, confidence and courage, and can serve as stepping stones to constituency seats - an opportunity to reach out to the electorate."
In Tanzania, that spells empowerment for women and a greater chance at positive change in a patriarchal culture where women have long been considered inferior and deemed unfit for leadership positions.
It's a stab at progress that resonates throughout the world.
"Women account for slightly more than 50 percent of the global population," she said. " Women tend to live longer than men. If women are empowered, global productivity will increase. Children are healthier and are better educated. By empowering women, we can alleviate a lot of global problems we are facing today."
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Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Article comment by:
Jeff Tyree
Hanover College Professor of Internation Studies
Hanover College professor Mi Yung Yoon, can you elaborate relative to your quote that because women account for more that 50% of the global population and they tend to have longer life expectancies than men, that global productivity will increase and children will be healthier and better educated? In addition, can you provide examples of, or elaborate as to, how empowered women can alleviate today’s global problems?
The last paragraph of the Madison Courier’s August 18, 2009 article on your achievements quoted you as follows. Just curious if your statements are simply ambiguous assumptions, or if there is factual data that either implies or proves such.
Women account for slightly more than 50 percent of the global population," she said. " Women tend to live longer than men. If women are empowered, global productivity will increase. Children are healthier and are better educated. By empowering women, we can alleviate a lot of global problems we are facing today."
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