The comparison of the Role of women as state leaders in Political

world Study case: Germany and Bangladesh

Hanif Pratama
School of International Relations
Faculty of Business and Social Sciences
International University Liaison Indonesia (IULI)
E-mail: hanifdarianto@gmail.com

I. Introduction

Women’s equal participation and leadership in political life are extremely important to
achieve in the Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030. Since 1960, about 75
women have already held the most powerful position of executive power in their countries,
even though approximately one third of these strong women were acting in a small
capacity, or they are changed from previous leaders that were elected and were never be
elected on their own right (Neill, 2021). The number of countries that have a female leader
will continue to expand over the years. We can see that there are few women in the world
who became state leaders. In general, people are less likely to recognize leadership
qualities towards women than in men. Men were more likely to be chosen as leaders
because they had more assertive personalities which thus spoke up more. It can be said that
it is common for beliefs about leadership to default to stereotypes about masculine
behaviour, which leads to unconscious gender bias.

But it still does not look promising when it is still short and when women have become a
state leader, they have a short period of time (Geiger & Kent, 2017). Some experts agreed
that women depend on involvement on an equal footing in political leadership and
corporate governance. Women in decision-making positions play an important role in
mainstreaming gender in all policy areas (Apap et al., 2019). However, in most societies
around the world, women hold only a minority of decision-making positions in both public
and private institutions.

In Germany, Angela Merkel has been the state leader for 13 years, and Germany was a
pioneer for women’s suffrage (Deutsche Welle, 2018). There are still problems and plenty
of work to raise women’s representation in politics. She claimed that at a recent
conference of Germany’s Christian Democrat it looked out towards the group’s leadership
and said to be “very male”. She also claimed that the group of which consist of 5 state
level boards are led by women, which missed about 50% of the women population.
Women should enrich their life not only privately but also political life. A study shows that
 about 60% of young female politicians have experienced sexual harassment
(Deutsche Welle, 2021).

The new study have found that equal opportunity for women in German political parties
has shown the majority of women in political world under age of 45 from local to national
state level have experienced that traumatic sexual harassment. According to the analyzes,
about 40% of women had experienced sexual harassment in the sense of unwanted and
inappropriate way, on looks or touches. This mostly happens during informal gatherings
such as party congresses, election celebrations and closed door meetings. Let's take a look
at the developing country, Bangladesh. In the last 30 years a female prime minister has led
the country for almost 27 years. Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia took over
Bangladesh between 1991 and 2006. Sheikh Hasina has led the country continuously since
2008 (Haque, 2021). There is no country that has a long streak of female rule in history.

Bangladesh National Parliament has an extensive system of reserved seats for women and
has 50 reserved seats that each party fills for their percentage of vote. Women also take
part in some subnational governing. Bangladesh has improved outside the politics in
improving gender equality in education, economic participation and other sectors. But, the
reality in their politics belies this on gender inclusive image. Right now the cabinet has
only five of 54 members that consist of women. It was only 36 women who got nominated
out of 300 parliamentary seats, of which 22 women won it. At most local levels, the key
positions like governor remain mostly by men. There are only 44 local leadership women
out of 5542 men (Haque, 2021). This is because politics in Bangladesh is viewed as male
space. Religious and cultural norms promote an image of Bangladesh women as mothers
and wives while men are the backbone of the family. The second reason is that male party
leaders often see men as better candidates. One of the female politicians claimed that when
they wanted to nominate for the post of chairperson, the party leaders did not allow them.
They instead have to compete for the women vice chairperson post. Men doubt the
capacity of a woman. This incident has occurred every nomination for the post of
chairperson.

I write this paper specifically Germany and Bangladesh because Germany has the best
leading women politician leaders in the world. While Bangladesh they are starting to
accept women as part of political lifes and they have been the state leader for a long period
of time. This paper will be explaining about how the role of women as a state leader works
in the political world and what are the differences of the role of women in developed and
developing countries? What are the success and failure stories from the women state
leaders point of view?
II. Research Theory
 II.I Liberalist Feminist

This paper will be using Liberal feminist theory towards gender and women’s role as
state leader. In the early years, femisnist theory was making women a real deal in the near
absence from traditional IR theory and practice. Liberal feminists of the eighteenth,
nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries asserted women's ability and right to participate
in public life at least through the suffrage, examined the institution of marriage and the
legal framework of divorce and property laws, and challenged the practices of denying
women access to the same quality education as men and to the professions. Liberal
feminists sought to end the treatment of women as legal dependents on their husbands or
fathers. It is visible both in women’s concept of decision making and in the assumptions
that the reality of womens in daily lives does not really impact or extremely important to
International theory. The contributions to International theory theory can also be
understandable through deconstruction of gender as both are socially constructed. It can
be said that recognising and challenging about masculine and feminine gender roles are
what both men and women should do in global politics and what counts as an important
role of International Relations. Women’s political worlds differ depending on which state.

The developing countries are far more superior when it comes to women becoming a
leader in a country. They are more open minded and free that women can actually lead
something and on decision making. Meanwhile, for developing countries, women are
difficult to be trusted by a country. And based on their belief, women should stay home
and take care of the household while men can lead the country and find jobs to provide for
their family. Sometimes, womens are being oppressed by most developing countries and it
is very rare that developing countries have a woman that is a state leader. Feminist
scholarship therfore takes both women and gender seriously, and by doing it, it challenges
the International Relations foundational concepts and assumptions.

III. Overview and Analyzes

III.I Women Politics in Germany

Germany is a Federal democracy, with solid ideological groups, a free legal executive,
and incredible regional and neighborhood legislatures. In that capacity, things can get
somewhat aggravating - in any event, for local residents. The "Government" part alludes to
how power is isolated broadly. Organizations in Berlin have specific Federal abilities,
which reach across territorial limits. For example, Berlin orders rules with respect to
medical coverage. Then again, many powers are held for territorial congregations or
neighborhood specialists. This assists with forestalling power gathering in the middle -
conceivably compromising the wellbeing of the German vote based system.
So Merkel assuming control over the party initiative in 2000 was a jostling shock to a male
dominance and generally Catholic CDU incapacitated by a financing embarrassment. At
the point when Kohl would not advance down, it was Merkel and not one of the dozen or
so youthful moderate "warlords" who were bumping for the progression—who felled him
in one quick chomp to the throat with a first page paper article requiring his acquiescence.
Merkel wound up at the turn of the thousand years standing up to an age of likewise
entitled and careless moderately aged German preservationists; the tricky female of the
species came wreathed in yielding and pearls. Prepared to explore restricted power and
familiar with following requests and show, her CDU peers were perplexed by the
befuddling new post-Berlin Wall world (Stelzenmüller, 2018).

For Merkel, it was freedom. What's more, it is more likely than not to be inebriating. In
addition, she had experienced childhood in a Communist nation where most ladies worked
and had families, while in post bellum West Germany, ladies with kids who timidly
communicated a craving to work gambled being called Rabenmütter. Essentially, unnatural
moms. Indeed, even in 2000, Germany was well behind other Western vote based systems
in that it had never had a female chancellor, unfamiliar pastor or safeguard clergyman, and
its constitution precluded ladies from serving in the military (Stelzenmüller, 2018).

The present Germany is still a significant way from equivalent compensation for ladies, or
equality of portrayal in governing bodies or on corporate sheets. Yet, a portion of the
Bundeswehr's battle units are instructed by ladies (Stelzenmüller, 2018). Ursula von der
Leyen is the guard pastor, and ladies are either driving or co-driving all aside from two of
Germany's ideological groups. Merkel has been chancellor for a long time. During her
time in office, she has directed the augmentation of paid parental leave and the
authorization of same-sex marriage. Those male opponents from her initial days have,
individually, shown a striking inclination to end up badly willingly.

Similarly as in each democratic country, voting is the main German political right, and
non-residents are by and large not ready to cast a ballot in many decisions. There are
special cases. For example, EU nationals can cast a ballot in nearby and European races.
However, decisions to the Federal chambers are restricted to German residents. The
democratic age in Germany is 18 (16 for nearby races), and all grown-up residents can cast
a ballot. The main races occur like clockwork and choose delegates for the Bundestag. In
these decisions, citizens cast two votes. The first is for a particular applicant, who needs to
procure the most votes in each appointive region to be chosen. The other vote is for a
"party list". These votes are utilized to ensure that gatherings get around however many
seats as their level of the vote.

While there are a lot of gatherings challenging for seats, Christian democrat (CPD) and
Social democrat (SPD) have been the significant gatherings of the government for the past
70 years. In any case, there have been numerous alliances, which include bigger gatherings
framing collisions with more modest gatherings. Lately, things have become significantly
more intricate, with the production of an "Amazing Coalition" between the SPD and CPD
following the 2008 monetary emergency. As of now, Angela Merkel directs an alliance
with the Bavarian Christian Social Union and the SPD. This implies that Merkel's party has
the privilege to propose most arrangements, yet her alliance accomplices employ critical
impact (Expatrio, 2021).

Angela Merkel Wanted to encourage more women to get involved in German Politics as
she will be leaving her office after 16 years from becoming the country’s first female
chancellor. She claimed that it is still to male dominant and needed more women to take
care of it (Reuters, 2021). The departure of Merkel could spell a dearth of women in top
political offices and false accusations of sexual misconduct at media company as a debate
heated about gender inequality and sexism in Germany. She mentioned that they still have
not managed to enthuse enough women for politics. It needs more work to be done so that
women gain more confidence in Political world. For the past 16 years, Angela Merkel has
been a consistent hand at the country's rudder and seemingly the most influential women
on the planet. In any case, in Baerbock's appointment, they're likewise watching a constant
show that even in Germany, a nation regularly held up as a model for embracing and
reappointing an influential lady pioneer, sexism isn't not difficult to uncover on legislative
issues. It tends to be troublesome even to unravel the two (Schultheis, 2021).

III.II Women Politics in Bangladesh

Most of the time women played supportive parts in politics. They take an interest in casting
a voting, in battling, in assembling discretionary help uncommonly ladies' help. In any
case, they for the most part don't represent decisions (Chowdhury, 2004, #). Ladies are
likewise dynamic in worker's organization development and laborer battle, however not as
pioneers. An exceptionally set number of ladies can be chosen and they come from rich,
metropolitan, and taught family foundation. They have next to no contact with the town.

In Bangladesh, there is broad consensus that women’s political participation is necessary

for both the democratic development of the country as well as women’s empowerment.
Indeed, Bangladesh has demonstrated some success in increasing the number of elected
female representatives over the years. To encourage women’s political representation,
Bangladesh has instituted temporary special measures that reserve a certain number of
seats for women at all levels of government – national and sub-national. There are
currently four separate and different reserved seat systems for women at three levels of
government in Bangladesh, and they produce different gender equality outcomes
(International Foundation for Electoral System, 2016).
Successful Bangladeshi state run administrations have defined approaches in regards to
ladies' strengthening, coordinating it into their general needs and regarding their
responsibilities to worldwide improvement objectives. Beginning around 1995, Bangladesh
has been gaining ground in making an interpretation of grand guarantees into activities,
having formed its unique ladies' improvement strategies and game plans in accordance
with the BPA. To push ahead, it should consider the advancement and setbacks in
understanding the objectives that Bangladesh set for ladies' strengthening (Rahman, 2020).

Culturally and traditionally , two arrangements of Social norms impact the situation of
Bangladeshi women: male centric society and purdah. In a male-ruled, male centric social
framework in Bangladesh, men overwhelm ladies and direct the terms of connections
through family, marriage and legacy (Parveen, 2007, #). In tradition, Bangladeshi ladies
stay inside the bounds of a family home, their exercises restricted to homegrown work and
childcare. Conversely, men work outside, support the family monetarily and control
capital. This job denies the ladies of getting a charge out of equivalent status opposite men.
Inconsistent to authoritative standards, such practices are socially overlooked as social
standards, which lead to their propagation.

Ladies' strengthening in Bangladesh, a Muslim-larger part country, is likewise compelled

by the recognition of purdah, which is the custom of veiling and isolating ladies. Purdah is
for quite some time rehearsed in Bangladesh and follows Islamic qualities and social
standards. This custom has expansive results on ladies' opportunity, versatility, instruction,
medical care and cultural investment. Numerous ladies think that it is hard to get the vital
information and abilities to lead an existence of respect while keeping up with purdah.

Aside from these two abrogating accepted practices, others, like early marriage,
endowment and Shariah law, additionally influence ladies' improvement in Bangladesh.
The Shariah-based individual laws that decide significant issues of life, similar to marriage,
separate, care of youngsters, legacy and so forth, are generally seen as sexual orientation
one-sided. Early marriage adds to a lower level of education among ladies, just as a lower
level of interest in financial exercises. Moreover, the endowment based marriage
framework actually defrauds Bangladeshi women.

III.III Analyzes the role of women in the political world

Women are still largely excluded from politics and decision making power. The IPU has
released their latest annual Women in Parliament report indicating that the world right now
is not yet on track to gain gender equality in politics by 2030 (Mlaba, 2021). On the other
hand, women are slowly taking up more space in governmental leadership around the
world, with women taking and securing seats in national parliaments, and the amount of
countries giving parliamentary quotas to ensure fair representation of women. Although the
representation of women as state leaders has reached a high milestone, the global average
 of women in parliamentary positions now stands at 25.5% which already reached a quarter
of population in history. It may look a few decades away from visioning equality for
women parliamentarians around the world, but it is still important to celebrate the countries
that are important for gender equality in their governments.

Despite the increase in the amount of women in political power, widespread gender
inequalities still persist according to the IPU-UN Women Map of Women in Politics
(Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2021). The IPU-UN women map shows new data for women
in government and parliamentary positions. The data shows a high number of countries
with women as a state leader as well as for the global share of women ministers. In the last
year report it stated that a spike at 21.3% of women ministers has slowed down with just a
small rise to 21.9% in January 2021. The data also shows that countries with no women in
government have increased which goes otherwise from the last few years. Un Women
Executive Director claimed that no country should not prosper without the engagement of
women. It needs women’s representation that shows all women and girls in all their
diversity and skills, and in most cultural, social and economic political situations.

The map of IPU women state leaders in the world still need to make bold action across the
globe to bring women into the main of decision making spaces in large numbers and as full
partners. The women executive director also claimed that the growth of women in political
decision making has not met the criteria and not sufficient enough.

The largest UN gathering on gender equality presented this year on its priority theme
Women’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life, end violence
towards women for achieving gender equality and the empowerment to all women
(Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2021). From the new data from IPU, women hold the role of
state leaders in 22 countries, up from 20 countries this time last year. In January 2021.
About 5.9% of elected heads of state which is 9 out of 152 and 6.7% of heads of
government which is 13 out of 193 are held by women.

Europe has the most countries led by women, with five out of the world’s nine women as
state leaders and seven out of the world’s 13 women heads of government. For example,
the Nordic countries like Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway are all currently led by
women. Politics in the world will play a role in advancing gender equality, mainly when it
comes to appointing ministers. This causes some countries to see a major change and
increase in the share of women ministers in 2021. Europe has experienced two big changes
in women’s political representation in 2021.
IV. Analyzes and Critics

IV.I Success and failures for Women’ political role in Germany

 Head of Germany's wonderful financial development, European combination, and the
Western world request are among the considerable commitments that can without a doubt
be referred to. She is likewise the planet's most influential lady when society is at last
facing the unfairness and imbalance that ladies have lived with for such a long time
(Bruen, 2018). She is, in every practical sense, a social leftist who drove a considerably
more moderate party. A lady who rose and stayed in the male-ruled administration of her
country. An individual who runs the biggest economy in Europe. Time after time ladies'
abilities are decided against those of their male partners. At the same time, under Merkel,
more women have made it into high office and functions within the German government
than ever before. The Ministry of Defense has been filled with women several times over
the past few years, and Merkel's closest advisers are also women (Deutsche Welle, 2021).

It's a profoundly defective measurement. As far as one might be concerned, the generally
appreciated properties in men are just a piece of the abilities that are expected to prevail
in the present different and complex climate. Consider, for Merkel's situation, her
excellent ability to tune in and recognize further interests and issues. In addition, her
capacity to regularly do or surpass crafted by pioneers from the contrary sex terms like
"equivalent" or "capable." The same unilluminating comparisons are happening now.
Merkel’s nickname might be “Mutti,” but she’s a disciplinarian mom, not a touchy-feely
one. Her leadership style is more influenced by her scientific background than by her
second X chromosome (Lewis, 2020).

On the other hand, A few German journalists said that for this article they communicated
worry that Merkel has not done what's needed to lift up different ladies. She seldom talks
about ladies' privileges and has never decided to accept women's rights. Her help was
offered, yet not strongly, when bills on wage straightforwardness and ladies' portrayal on
corporate sheets were managing the Bundestag. Meanwhile, women in the nation actually
acquire 21%, not as much as men and those writers highlighted the scarcity of
conspicuous female pioneers that could venture into Merkel's perspective.

IV.II Success and failures for Women’ political role in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has been operating under female leadership for a decade now. In addition to
the prime minister, many of the other prominent political leaders are also women including
the chairperson of the main opposition party. Besides, the country has earned worldwide
recognition for its garments sector, which has many women workers (Rahman, 2021).

Two powerful women Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia have dominated Bangladeshi
politics for decades, but the South Asian country's women are still underrepresented in
parliament and are politically marginalized (Deutsche Welle, 2018). An 18 year old
Student, Nazla Ibtesham, was hugely disappointed when election officials turned down her
voter ID due to some "technical issues." She and her friends wanted to make their voice
heard in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Women in Bangladesh are vulnerable. They
are routinely harassed, raped and even murdered.

Women constitute half of Bangladesh's 164 million people, however they are largely
excluded from political decision-making. Some 51.5 million female voters – 49.5 percent
of the total 104 million voters – are eligible to cast their ballots in the upcoming general
election. Despite this large number of voters, the women representation in Bangladeshi
parliament is negligible. At present, the 350-strong Bangladeshi parliament has only 22
directly elected female legislators.

In addition, there are 50 reserved seats for women who are not directly elected and have no
constituency. Despite the fact that the incumbent PM Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader
Khaleda Zia are both women, Bangladeshi politics is still dominated by men. A member of
the BNP’s student wing named Shirin Sultana said that Political parties don't nominate
women to contest elections because they believe that in order to win you need power and
muscle. Bangladeshi women politicians complain of unfair treatment by their party leaders.
She also claimed that the majority of lawmakers are men who are financially strong. In this
situation, it is difficult for women to play a big role in politics.

All over Bangladesh women leaders are avoided from their rights and advantages.
Bangladesh overall is as yet considered as one of the nations with the highest level of
sexual orientation separation and patriarchal structures, shown at all degrees of society.
Ladies experience the ill effects of gender discrimination especially women, for example,
early marriage rehearses, sex based savagery, one-sided legacy and property laws,
limitation of mobility and access to services. Because of a lack of proper education,
Bangladeshi women just minimally take part in productive monetary exercises or
participate in political developments.

Regardless of admirable advances in female instruction and sexual orientation equality in

essential and auxiliary schools, high dropout rates and low quality of training stay central
issues. Also, ladies and young ladies keep on experiencing different medical services
inadequacies, particularly in country regions. Moreover, reports uncover variations in wage
structures among ladies and men in certain areas, despite the fact that such is restricted by
law. Male members never accept women as their colleagues but are rather obsessed with
patriarchal beliefs. They always judge women and perpetually subjugate them to their
wishes and demands, which is vividly reflected in the words of a male member.

Additionally, government drives to advance the circumstance of weak ladies through

different social security nets have been viewed as inadequate in really addressing their
requirements. These issues propagate and keep on existing on account of the ladies'
 customarily low degree of support in political exercises. However the circumstance is
consistently improving, as reflected in the increment in fruitful female constituent
competitors, it remains an overwhelming undertaking to guarantee satisfactory and fair
cooperation. Apparently a great deal still needs to be done to engage ladies and carry them
into the standard of formative exercises. At the point when male members can not win in
denying women of their due privileges in the UP, they attempt to make issues utilizing
various ways (Rahman, 2016, #). Being particularly obsessed and raised with male centric
standards and qualities, the male individuals' psychological make-up is totally finished by
the domination over females, and these male individuals are never prepared to give up a bit
of force and additionally power to the female individuals, a position that they have
delighted in from the crude pioneer days to date, which began before the state formation in
Bangladesh, and the continuous male domination over female without having any changes
in their forms.

V. Conclusion

It goes without saying that women as state leaders can also be equal as men and they
deserve to lead the country like any other men political leaders. Germany has already
proven that women as political leaders like Angelina Merkel can bring the nation into the
most progressive country in the world. Not only she wanted more women to be part of
political leaders but equal votes in Germany in their parliament. Same goes to Bangladesh
where women as state leaders are starting to show in the political world but still face
gender gap and male dominant country because of the socio culture they have to follow.
Even with this gender gap Bangladesh has started to believe that women can also run a
country and proved they are worthy to lead all Bangladesh citizens and the country.

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