40% of girls and young women believe that women in politics suffer from harassment and abuse

The Spanish girls and young women they don’t feel understood or represented by political leaders and consider that Women who engage in politics suffer abuse and harassment. These are two of the conclusions of Equal Power NOW: Girls, Young Women and Political Participation Study conducted on nearly 29,000 girls and women aged between 15 and 24 from 29 countries, incl. spain, which will be presented this Tuesday, October 4, at Congress of Deputies in a ceremony presided over by Meritsel BatetSpeaker of the Chamber.

The survey reflects that only 11% of respondents are satisfied with the decisions made by their political representatives on issues that affect them. However, 90% agree with the importance of participation in politicsaccording to new research from Plan International.

Six out of ten Spanish women surveyed (64%) have lost theirs confidence politicians, with only one in ten (14%) believing they understand their point of view. So much so that this situation affects his emotional well-being: 42% feel “stressed, worried or nervous”; and 32% as a “sad or depressed” score.

“On the tenth anniversary of the Day of the Girl, our research proves that girls’ political participation is still far from a guaranteed right, but that girls are active citizens who want to contribute their ideas and make their voices heard. Their commitment to respect the issues that matter to them: from poverty and unemployment, through conflicts and peace, through climate change or education, shows us their determination and should become a political pledge for a better future,” says Concha López, Director General of Plan International Spain.

more judged

Perceived barriers and discrimination faced by women leaders led half of respondents to believe that society does not accept women’s political participation. So much so that 19% were personally convinced that they did not. Additionally, four in ten agree that female politicians are harassed and judged based on their appearance. “A representative woman who is a leader feels that she will be judged much more on her appearance or on how she balances her personal and professional life … and those comments are not made to a man. You must have a lot of strength, “said one of the respondents.

Despite the diversity of the sample, almost all respondents (94%) agreed about the obstacles they face as young women. However, there are more (95%) who believe it is important to participate in politics, just as there are majorities in Spain and the rest of the world (74% and 83% respectively) who seek to overcome these obstacles with their active participation .

to participate

Neither disillusionment with institutional politics nor the exclusion they feel prevents half of the world’s respondents (46%) from voting in national, regional or local elections to change their social, economic and cultural reality. But only a third (24%) of those who wish to participate in politics would run for political office.

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In Spain, although half of the respondents (49%) believe that it is easier for them to participate in politics than for their mothers, they choose to use less formal and low exposure spaces, such as volunteering in their community or actions through communication channels and social networks.

However, European actors – compared to those from other regions – are the ones who show the least confidence in presenting themselves as candidates for elections or when organizing and leading mobilization groups, face-to-face or online. Similarly, respondents from Europe and North America report being less confident when speaking to their peers on a social, economic or political issue.