Speech about Women in Politics

Andreas Müller, 15.01.2009

Ladies and gentlemen,

I want to speak about the role of women in politics. I know that in general when a man speaks
about the role of women, then it is a very delicate issue because many opinions about this
question are very subjective, emotional and sometimes full of prejudices. But nevertheless I
hope that even the feminine listeners of this speech will not close their ears, because a man
tells his opinion about the role of women in politics.
There is a phenomenon in our daily life: The talk about political issues or the opinion
of different politicians changes into a discussion of gender issues. Some say, that it is better to
have no or only a small number of feminine politicians. Some say, there should be a certain
rate of women in the government. There are also voices that want to have more female than
male politicians. The question is: What should be done?
Before we can find a solution of this problem, I think it is important to find the answer
of another question: Who should be a politician?
If someone is a really good speaker, his speeches are appealing and full of passion, but
he also changes circumstances and does not only talk without doing something than he should
become a politician. If someone really stands for the interests of his electors, without being
selfish or even being ready to make sacrifices than he should become a politician. If someone
is really honest and wants to change something in a way that is respectful and tolerant to other
opinions, than he should become a politician – doesn’t matter if this person is male or female.
I know that this sounds very ideal, but this is what real politicians should aspire to. There are
different examples of those politicians – the best one is probably Martin Luther King who
fought for the rights of black men while respecting the rights of white men. Imagine if he
would have been a woman! Would there have been a big difference or would it have been the
same? It’s difficult to say and it’s interesting to think about, but the point is, that it would
surely be wrong, to exclude somebody from politics, only because of his sex, as it would be
wrong to include somebody, who only takes advantage of his political status. It would surely
be wrong, to exclude women from politics, but it would be also wrong, to include them
compulsively.
It’s no secret, that men and women are different to each other. Probably that is the
reason for this gender issue. They think differently, speak differently and because of that they
act differently. But isn’t it a chance for a variety in politics? Margaret Thatcher, an English
politician once said: “If you want something to be said in politics, than refer to a man and if
you want something to be done in politics, than refer to a women.” This statement is a moot
point, but it illustrates, that men and women complement one another, when they join forces
with each other.
So when we come back to our first question: what should be done, we come to a
simple solution: We should stop thinking about gender issues if it’s a question of politics and
we should start looking at the person’s character or behaviour. This should be the basis of
good evaluations.
Thank you for your attention.