{"id":24146,"date":"2023-03-18T17:56:15","date_gmt":"2023-03-18T17:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/?p=24146"},"modified":"2023-03-19T13:43:45","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T13:43:45","slug":"women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame","title":{"rendered":"Women Need to Take Up Space in Politics \u2013 Serame"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>Following commemoration of the International Women\u2019s Day on March 8, the Chairperson of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Women\u2019s Wing, Peggy Serame, has emphasised the need for women to take up space in decision-making positions, especially in politics.<\/b><\/p>\n

Serame, who is the first woman in Botswana to become Minister of Finance, was delivering the keynote address at Women\u2019s High Tea at Avani Hotel and Resort in Gaborone where the First Lady, Neo Masisi, was the Guest of Honour recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Botswana, women are more than 50 percent (of the population), but when we look at leadership positions, we fall short and it\u2019s even worse in politics,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Recruiting <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need more women to take up space in politics, leadership in general. We are getting there but in politics we need to see more women. So I am recruiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

She cited the BDP Women\u2019s Wing retreat of November last year where it was resolved to have more women in politics and as candidates in the general elections in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there are more women in the political space, they would be able to make a difference in our communities,\u201d Serame said. \u201cTaking up space for me means saying \u2018I am here\u2019 and saying it unapologetically. Saying \u2018I am able, I can and I can make a difference.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ever want to become anything, you need to accept that it comes with a process and part of that process is giving up certain things and accepting that you need help. When you get to the top, make sure to hold another woman\u2019s hand and rise with them and learn together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspiring the next generation of leaders <\/b><\/p>\n

For her part, Lady Masisi said the International Women\u2019s Day serves as a reminder of what women have achieved and continue to achieve. It is also a reminder of what women are capable of doing, the realities of the world in which women live, the challenges and what the world has pledged through the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which is achieving gender equality and empowering all women.<\/p>\n

Pole position<\/b><\/p>\n

She asserted that in commemorating the day, people ought to give thought to recovering from COVID-19 and to catch up and close the gender gap. \u201cWe know that women continue to play a critical role in the economy of Botswana,\u201d said the First Lady.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn aspect worthy of mentioning is that according to the 2021 Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs, Botswana is ranked in pole position with 38.5 percent as one of the countries with the highest concentration of female entrepreneurs (in the world). It is followed by Uganda and Ghana.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see a typical Motswana woman trying to make ends meet and tending to the family. More than 50 percent of households are headed by females. Women continue to suffer the brunt of GBV, exclusion and inequalities in terms of pay. So I urge executives to promote women and pay them well.\u201d<\/p>\n

98 years <\/b><\/p>\n

According to the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report, sub-Saharan Africa has the sixth highest regional score and has bridged 68.7 percent of its gender gap. The report notes that at this rate, it would take 98 years to close the gender gap.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis clearly shows that none of us will be here when that happens,\u201d Lady Masisi said. \u201cBut we have hope and it lies in the next generation of leaders whom we need to allow to take up space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I am able\u2019 <\/b><\/p>\n

Former Miss Botswana, Palesa Molefe, reminded women that the International Women\u2019s Day is not a day to celebrate being a woman but a day to acknowledge the continuous celebration that women give themselves every day of their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a woman, I am able to represent possibilities, to be a light in the darkness, hope in tragedy and to break generational curses,\u201d Molefe said. \u201cI can be whoever I want to be, to speak my mind, fulfil my God-given purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo have equal opportunities, to empower and be empowered. I believe I am able, and because I have accepted these beliefs, it has become my truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. Following commemoration of the International Women\u2019s Day on March 8, the Chairperson of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Women\u2019s Wing, Peggy Serame, has emphasised the need for women to take up space in decision-making positions, especially in politics. Serame, who is the first woman in Botswana to become Minister of Finance, was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":24145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,10],"tags":[233,237,234],"class_list":["post-24146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-parties","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-botswana","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nWomen Need to Take Up Space in Politics \u2013 Serame - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Following commemoration of the International Women\u2019s Day on March 8, the Chairperson of the Botswana Democratic Party ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Women Need to Take Up Space in Politics \u2013 Serame\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Following commemoration of the International Women\u2019s Day on March 8, the Chairperson of the Botswana Democratic Party ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Botswana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-18T17:56:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-19T13:43:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2023\/03\/postQueueImg_1679143438.29.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Women Need to Take Up Space in Politics \u2013 Serame\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-18T17:56:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-19T13:43:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame\"},\"wordCount\":698,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2023\/03\/postQueueImg_1679143438.29.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Botswana\",\"Botswana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\",\"parties\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/women-need-to-take-up-space-in-politics-serame\",\"name\":\"Women Need to Take Up Space in Politics \u2013 Serame - 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