Strength of women’s political protests: where is Belarus going

Ukraine has recently begun to discuss women's taking part in the country's political life. Back in 2015, they introduced gender quotas for the first time in party lists, but they will become effective only in the 2020 local elections.

It happened due to the support of public society organizations, and the efforts of individual women politicians. It is the way of Ukrainian society. But the situation could turn out in another way, more revolutionary. Poland followed the path 40 years ago when women protested for the first time and became active participants. Thanks to the massive support of the women's protests across the country, the Polish legislation was amended according to their demands. Now the women of Belarus have followed this path. The unofficial leaders of the movement are Svitlana Tikhanovska and women members of her team who, by the way, were recently nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

All-women marches, not for women's rights, but with a general political agenda, are now organized throughout Europe, and in America. For example, on October 17, women's marches took place in major US cities. Thousands of young women in masks (no one forgot about the pandemic there) opposed the policies of Donald Trump and Republicans. These are not the first marches, and their task is primarily to draw public attention to existing problems. They are successfully coping. Rubryka is analyzing why such protests mean a quantum leap into the politics of the future.