Joining the Old Boys Club

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the new president of Liberia, becomes the first female head of state in Africa since independence. The New York Times claims,

"Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf's victory propels her into an old boys' club unlike any other. From the Cape to Cairo, from Dar es Salaam to Dakar, men have dominated African politics from the earliest days of the anticolonial struggle."

True, but what about the United States? The U.S. has been independent for roughly 200 years longer than the nations of Africa and has never even approached the possibility of a female president. Talk about an old boys' club unlike any other.

Of course, to be fair, most nations in the world have not had a female head of state and the ones that have, the benefits to women have been minimal at best.

Hmmm, perhaps this issue of treatment of women is an important one. Maybe each society should work to improve its own status of women instead of using the treatment of women in Iraq to help justify war.


The article is:
In First for Africa, Woman Wins Election as President of Liberia
By: Lydia Polgreen
New York Times
Published: November 12, 2005