Sara Khojoyan
Women had a highly visible role in the peaceful protests that
unseated Armenian premier Serzh Sargsyan last month, with female
activists seen on the barricades and setting up the roadblocks in
demonstrations that brought the capital Yerevan to a standstill.
But those who hoped that this level of involvement would lead to a
new government with a fairer gender balance have been disappointed.
The journalist-turned-politician who led the protests, Nikol
Pashinyan, promised the National Assembly on May 8 he would ensure
proper representation for women, who he acknowledged “played a major
role” in unseating Sargsyan and the ruling Republican party.
“We need to create equal opportunities for all women to continue
being part of political decisions in the new Armenia,” Pashinyan said.
Some hailed this as a historic speech, the first time in Armenia’s
history when a prime minister had highlighted the role of women in the
country’s future success.
However, just a few days later, Pashinyan warned that that there
would in fact be few female politicians in his cabinet due to an
agreement he had reached to share positions amongst a number of other
parties.
Indeed, only two of the new government’s 17 ministers – for culture
and for labour and social affairs – are women. All three deputy prime
ministers are all men.
