Women still under-represented in local government in Senegal

Despite passage of a 1996 Decentralisation Law, women are still under-represented in local politics in Senegal, according to Inter Press Service.

"The law should have helped women reach more positions of authority, especially in local governance," says Penda Mbow, a history professor at Dakar's Cheikh Anta Diop University. According to Mbow, women have the political will but face social and cultural hurdles at many levels.

"There are still men who won't take orders from a women. Senegal is one of the many countries where women are relegated to secondary roles in public administration, major institutions and political power," she explained to IPS.

Women is Senegal reportedly make up 70 percent of rural workers, 70 percent of the informal labor market, 15 percent of workers in public administration, and 4 percent of workers in the formal private sector labor force.

There are promising signs surrounding women's participation in Senegalese politics, but there's still a long way to go. In the 2008 UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Report on Women's Progress it will take developing nations two generations -- up til 2045 -- to reach the point where no gender holds more than 60 percent of parliamentary seats.

I wonder how long it will take us to reach that point in the US.