Wo/Men in Politics is a two-year project implemented by the British Council and funded by the British Embassy Yerevan. The project is aimed at increasing the effectiveness of women in politics by developing necessary political skills, creating new networks, breaking the stereotypes and changing the public perception about female leadership.

Why are we doing Wo/Men in Politics?

For various social, economic and cultural reasons women are increasingly considered to be underrepresented in Armenian political life. The most important issues appear to be that women lack the self-confidence to pursue a career in politics because of insufficient professional skills and a negative image of politics among women.  Equally important are the pre-determined social roles assigned to women and men in Armenian society.

Being an organisation that promotes good governance and positive social change, the British Council is joining the efforts of the international community to address and tackle these issues by bringing in the British and European expertise and experience.

How will we achieve this?

In the framework of the two year Wo/Men in Politics project, the British Council, in partnership with the OSCE and other international organisations, organised a number of activities aimed at building the capacity of women leaders to represent the different political parties of Yerevan and the marzes of Armenia. The activities included various training programmes, involving international experts and political guest speakers, as well as study visits to the United Kingdom and other European countries for knowledge and experience sharing.

			Capacity Building Training programmes to equip the participants with the skills and knowledge of campaign management, leadership, public speaking, working with the media, developing legal acts, budgeting and other skills necessary for a successful political career.
			Networking Opportunities for female leaders to build new relations with experienced politicians locally as well as with their counterparts regionally and internationally through a number of conference activities, internship opportunities and study visits.
			Public Awareness Raising Changing the conventional perception of female leadership through public events reminding about woman’s great contribution to the public and political life of Armenia and the world, through more professional and improved media coverage of women politicians. These include: gender-sensitisation workshops for journalists and editors; the establishment of an annual award competition for the journalists most actively and accurately portraying women politicians throughout the year; the launch of an interactive radio programme; and other media activities.

As the title of the project suggests, one of the major objectives is to ensure the interaction between female and male politicians, thus contributing to women’s smooth integration and natural active involvement in the political field. Therefore, all the activities involved the active participation of male politicians in order to create a natural environment for mutually beneficial long-lasting co-operation.

For more information about the Wo/Men in Politics project, please contact Programmes Manager Inessa Muradyan.