Motivation
2010
SWANILENGA® PUBLICATIONS;
Courtesy of Rosemary Chileshe - CEO; Swanilenga Group
'WOMEN IN POLITICS'
When it comes to Politics, women are in the minority. The political subject is widespread, however; a woman's role in politics is questioned.
Dear readers, why this subject title? Well, I am a woman in a political world! The just ended general election left us with a hung parliament and the overall general reaction? A question on future implications? uncertainty ? unpredictable outcome?
This article is only engineered to look at where women started, the experiences encountered along the journey and to where women now stand in the political world! Let us look at some fundamental moments in the British political history;
The last hung parliament was in 1974. Rewinding the years; a fundamental moment in politics was1918, when women finally got the right to vote after many years of campaigning by the SUFFRAGETTES. Not to do anything by halves, women fought for their right extremely hard through hunger strikes, by endless protests, even through death, as a result, the Representation of The People Act was finally approved, allowing women over 30 to vote.
In 1919; Nancy Astor became the 1st woman to sit as a member of parliament, after being elected for the conservatives. Her campaign slogan 'vote for lady Astor & your children will weigh more' Nancy's role played a significant role in progressing women's rights and children's rights.
In 1979; Margaret Thatcher aka 'The Iron Lady' was the 1st elected female British prime minister.
In 1987 Diane Abbott made history by becoming the first black woman ever elected to the British Parliament. She has since built a distinguished career as a parliamentarian, broadcaster and commentator.
Most recently, Caroline Lucas - Leader of Green Party became British's 1st ever Green MP with a seat in parliament.
Is the level of women's representation in parliament in sub-Saharan Africa far higher than in many westernised countries?
The campaign to promote women in decision-making positions worldwide gained momentum during the 1980s and early 1990s through a series of international conferences.
In September 2000 at the UN Millennium Summit in New York, world leaders pledged to "promote gender equality and the empowerment of women as effective ways to prevent poverty, hunger and disease and to stimulate truly sustainable development." At that meeting, world leaders adopted the goal of gender equality and seven others, known collectively as the Millennium Development Goals. Since then, the number of women in leadership positions has been rising and fast!
Without men and women, young and old, having equal opportunities to achieve their fullest potential, can society progress?
My view; women should continue to be encouraged to practice the principles of democracy and community development. There should be a promotion of good relations and an encouragement for women to actively participate worldwide. Furthermore, women should be encouraged and supported in enhancing and topping up existing skills and knowledge necessary to enter or to progress in political and public life.
With a large percentage of women in Parliament, matters of importance to women, such as childcare and domestic violence can be further pushed forward on the political agenda.
Credits - info@rosemarychileshe.com
'A WORLD OF FRENEMIES'
Dear readers,
Most people talk / write about the negative aspects of a given scenario. I acknowledge what may not be right in my opinion but then I move on to focus on the positive aspects. To every negative aspect, there is always a positive view.
It comes with great pleasure for me to write about 'frenemies'. Why this subject title? I have come to accept that despite how nice a person may be, generally, individuals who call themselves or you class them as your friends, are in fact, not really on your team, they have a hidden motive.
Let us start with the analysis of the word 'frenemy', also spelt as "frienemy'. This is a combination of "friend' and "enemy" which can refer to either an enemy disguised as a friend or an associate who is also a competitor. The term can apply in various environments such as personal and commercial etc.
Analysis of frenemies in a working environment; with increasingly informal surroundings, a large number of very close relationships that combine people's professional and personal lives is on the rise as a result of people working long hours. The amount spent at work has now left a lot of people with less time and preference to develop friendships outside of their working places.
An example of a commercial frenemy relationship is that between a junior and a senior employee. Say the rule is that every task a junior employee finishes has to be verified by a senior employee. If a junior comes up with a great idea for the team and passes it through a senior employee, the feedback issued is 'great idea, job well-done' and the senior employee reports it as their own initiative to their head of department.
In the same commercial environment, a frenemy can relate to two people who can be friends and get along in the office but both of them work within internal competing departments.
An example of a personal frenemy; you share your great joy / achievement with close/ best friends on (i.e., winning a silver medal etc..) and the response you get is 'great, that sounds almost like my situation, except instead, I got a gold medal or you announce a great concept and instead of being backed up or encouraged, the feedback you get is 'are you sure you should be doing that, I hear it's a fading industry, I myself would not bother'
Do frenemies encourage you to lead a better life? It is healthy to keep such associations? Are you motivated to be a better person, to achieve more? This could be a 'Catch 22' scenario, An example, 'your frenemy starts a new business and succeeds at it' well, there's a good chance you will also go out there and come up with a similar concept, if not the same' Why? because 'secretly' you are in competition, you want to show, you too can achieve that, if not better.
Obsessively comparing yourself with others can be a danger, therefore, know your limits. A little healthy competition sometimes can be a good thing. Example, your friend gets promoted; you also get encouraged and work a little harder.
Some people's comments on frenemies;
'An enemy disguised as a friend'
'The type of "friend" whose words or actions bring you down, whether you realise it as intentional or not / a person who will continue to bring you down until you demand better for yourself'
'Someone who is; a friend and an enemy, a relationship that is both mutually beneficial and dependent while being competitive and full of mistrust'
A "friend" / "bad friend" who cares only about themselves; someone who gets their way no matter at what cost'
'A person who seems to be a friend, but takes every opportunity to make cutting remarks under the appearance of being honest, naive or just stupid'
Interesting views; In the 'celebrity' world, frenemy is often used in tabloids, to describe two people who are enemies in the press and friends in real life or vice versa, generally a technique used simply to gain publicity.
When asked the question, 'what do you think about frenemies?" The overall response, 'Keep your friends close and your frenemies (sometimes) closer' Some said 'When you ask yourself is that person my friend or enemy and they turn out to be your frenemy. Straighten them out or leave them. Do not put up with it'
The angle of this article is not to dwell of what people do shockingly; instead my focus is to' acknowledge a let down' and then move on. Never let the offences of others confuse your approach or lower you down to their level of action. The best way forward, is to do what you do best, stay sharp and be focused on what you have outlined for yourself and not what 'frenemies' have confused you to do.
While there may be merits to having frenemies, you have to place them in the right context. 'Good friends are unconditional, but frenemies are not,' The key is to understand what you can gain from each relationship. 'Know the limits of what friends / frenemies are capable of adding to your environment. While one friend may be ideal for socialising with, s/he may not be ideal for other aspects of your life. If anything, a frenemy can teach you how to appreciate and detect real friendships. And maybe that's not such a bad thing. 'They can be useful when your experience with them makes you appreciate your true friends even more,'
Why do we keep up with friends who really are not our friends? Is the world so consumed with the same type of contacts that we feel we have no choice but to keep up with appearances? I will leave you with that thought.
Credits - info@rosemarychileshe.com