Politics and democracy Women have always been part of the broader social movements and continue to advocate for various socio-political issues. The numbers of those actively involved in government decision-making and leadership, however, remain low. Moreover, the latest trends of rapidly shrinking political and civil society spaces increasingly limit not only the political participation of women but of all marginalized groups. For example, only 20 per cent of seats in Asian parliaments were held by women in 2020 according to UN Women. 4 For laws, policies, and initiatives to be inclusive and address their needs, women’s participation is indispensable and, in the end, the role of women in politics hinges on the understanding that democracy can flourish through redistribution, recognition, and representation(Fraser, 2013). Common pitfalls: As nation building is often a masculine project, 5 men dominate contemporary politics. This male-centeredness could lead to issues being considered as‘generic’, which in fact are not general but omit women’s particular roles in history and society, and their specific needs. Things to keep in mind: • Diversify representation by identifying women in electoral politics, government, civil society, social movements, and grassroots communities. This can also be done by unravelling or seeking real life examples where women are actively present in various communities or in a certain sector but their roles are often undermined or unacknowledged. • Examine engrained masculinism in concepts and practices that are historically dominated by males such as the discourse around nationalism, nation building, and political concepts(who is included and who is not). • Consider the social, economic, and historical context of political regimes in their respective countries and the specific impact upon women. Highlight the role of women in shaping the political landscape. • Include the politics of everyday life by recognizing that the expansion of democracy is rooted in managing and negotiating daily life. Sensitively highlight women and other marginalized groups and their daily struggle for survival. • Recognize and represent different kinds of engagement as not all women express their politics and democratic rights through formal politics. This could, e.g. include the work of artists. • Be mindful. Shrinking civil society spaces also mean that you’ll have to consider the negative impact that your output could possibly have on the women that you are representing and partners at large. 4 https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/ publications/2020/women-in-politics-map-2020-en.pdf?la=en&vs=827 5 See Nira Yuval-Davis(1993) Gender and nation, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 16:4, 621-632, DOI: 10.1080/01419870.1993.9993800 10 Gender transformative communication in focus areas