Perspectives on Gender Discourse: Enhancing Women’s Political Participation

This volume of the annual Perspectives on Gender Discourse, published by Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS), analyses dimensions and problems of women's political practice in Kenya. Some of the contributions discuss whether there is (or should be) a specifically female way of doing politics, as well as the issue of affirmative action. Others address the gender-specific risks of political violence and discuss the possibility of an alliance of female and youth political leaders. The publication also includes an essay presenting the preliminary results of a study, commissioned by HBS, about successful Kenyan female political leaders and their approach to politics.
Perspectives on Gender Discourse is a series of annual publications documenting the deliberations and proceedings of the Gender Forum organised by the Heinrich Böll Foundation's office in Nairobi, Kenya. The Gender Forum is designed to be a medium for political reflections and discourse on gender-related issues in addition to providing a platform for experts to share their expertise with others, in effect making gender issues public issues. According to HBS, this edition provides an overview about core issues and perspectives in female participation in electoral politics in Kenya.
The volume includes the following chapters:

• Chapter 1: The value proposition to women’s leadership: perspectives of Kenyan women parliamentary and civic leaders (2003 to 2007)
• Chapter 2: Practicing politics: The female side of the coin - enhancing women's political participation in the imminent general elections of 2007
• Chapter 3: The affirmative action debate: developing winning strategies
• Chapter 4: (Re)Configuring gender-based electoral violence as 'political rape'
• Chapter 5: Strategy for raising the profile of and leveraging women and young candidates for the 2007 general elections