Survey reveals barriers for women’s political participation
A majority of Maldivians believe that men make better leaders than women and only 39 percent agree that a woman could serve as president, a nationwide survey conducted by Transparency Maldives has revealed. Nine out of ten Maldivians also believe that “a good wife will always obey her husband, even if she disagrees with him.”
21 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
A majority of Maldivians believe that men make better leaders than women and only 39 percent agree that a woman could serve as president, a nationwide survey conducted by Transparency Maldives (TM) has revealed.
The NGO’s 2015 Democracy Survey titled ‘A Troubled Future for Democracy’ released yesterday identified “attitudinal barriers” and challenges for women’s participation in politics and decision-making. TM conducted the Maldives’ first survey of public attitudes towards democracy in 2013, which found that two-thirds did not support gender equality.
In a sign of changing attitudes, the 2015 survey showed that 45 percent of respondents disagreed with the statement “men make better leaders than women” compared to 38 percent in 2013.
The findings also indicated widespread support for women assuming leadership roles with the exception of the presidency.
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