For a moment, it felt like we were getting somewhere. Women were breaking glass ceilings, stepping onto debate stages, and proving that leadership knows no gender. But now, it seems the cracks in that ceiling are being patched up—by the very forces that once claimed to support equality.
Author: Cailin Reiff
Gender discrimination in politics isn’t fading; it’s mutating. It’s no longer just about fewer women in office—it’s about the quiet, insidious ways they’re being pushed back out.
We’ve seen it before: a woman speaks up in a political debate, and instead of dissecting her policies, the headlines focus on her “tone.” She’s too aggressive. Too soft. Too ambitious. Not ambitious enough. Her male opponent interrupts her, and the audience barely notices. Flip the roles, and suddenly, she’s “rude” or “hysterical.”
This isn’t just media bias—it’s the deep-seated belief that politics is still a man’s game. And if a woman dares to play, she better do it perfectly.
Look at parliaments, congresses, and cabinets worldwide, and one thing is clear: the decision-making tables are still overwhelmingly male. Women may enter, but climbing to the top? That’s a different story.
Why? Because the barriers aren’t just visible—they’re woven into the system. Female candidates often receive less funding, less media coverage, and more personal attacks than their male counterparts. It’s not that women aren’t stepping up—it’s that they’re being met with locked doors.
The more women push forward, the harder some push back. The rise of conservative movements in various parts of the world has led to a resurgence of old-school thinking: a woman’s place is in her family’s house, not in the House of Representatives.
Laws restricting women’s rights, online harassment campaigns, and political smear tactics targeting female leaders aren’t coincidences—they’re part of a larger effort to remind women that power was never meant to be theirs.
This isn’t just about women—it’s about the quality of leadership. When half the population is shut out, we lose brilliant minds, fresh perspectives, and policies that work for everyone.
A government that doesn’t reflect its people can’t fully serve them. It’s that simple.
The good news? We don’t have to accept this. The bad news? If we do nothing, we are complicit.
This isn’t just about unfair treatment—it’s about power, control, and a system designed to make women feel like politics is not their place. And if we don’t fight back, we’re letting those in power win. We’re letting them tell our sisters, daughters, and future leaders that their voices don’t matter.
So, we call it out. We demand better. We stop laughing off sexist remarks in debates, we challenge the media when they reduce women to their appearance, and we refuse to let leadership be defined by outdated traditions.
Because if we don’t? If we let this slide? Then we aren’t just losing progress—we’re surrendering our future. And that is simply not an option.
Cover picture by: geralt – Pixabay
Edited by: Sophie Van Den Berge, Johanna Larsson Krausová
