Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, founder of the EJS Center, poses with panelists and participants after the “Country Talks” series in Monrovia, Liberia.
Monrovia – Despite electing Africa’s first female president, women’s representation in Liberia’s legislature remains low at just 11 percent. This stark reality was the focus of a recent discussion where panelists at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (EJS) Center’s “Country Talks” series urged a bold solution: new gender quota legislation. The proposed law would compel political parties to present a gender-balanced candidate list, aiming for a balanced ratio in future elections.
By Tina S. Mehnpaine, contributing writer
“The population still has a challenge accepting women’s leadership. That’s what that 11 percent tells us,”said Dr. Tanya Garnett, a panelist and one of the women leading the discussion. She was joined by Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine, Montserrado County District One Representative, Hon. Rugie Barry, Young Political Leadership School Africa (YPLSA) Program Manager, Alphia Kemokai, and Cornelia Togba, Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
Garnett pointed to a clear disparity: “We see the differentiation in how women can be appointed in the executive but not necessarily as they can be elected in the legislative. What does it tell us? It tells us that a president can come and appoint strategically, but is the population as a whole willing and ready to elect women?”
Gender quotas are a “temporary special measure” designed to accelerate substantive equality between women and men and address the historical marginalization of women in politics. A past effort in Liberia demonstrated its effectiveness. In 2005, a non-enforceable guideline urged political parties to aim for a 30% gender quota. While no party met the threshold, the major parties came close, averaging 22.6% women on their lists, leading to a record 14% of women elected to the House and almost 17% to the Senate—percentages far higher than in any subsequent election.
This progress was short-lived. The guidelines were dropped in 2011, and a 2014 amendment to the New Elections Law included a vague, non-binding phrase to “endeavor to ensure” gender balance. Without any accountability mechanism, progress stalled. By 2017, the largest parties had women on their lists at rates as low as 10-17%, a decline that has continued to the present. The lesson, Garnett argued, is simple: “We are not going to get a seat at the table because men feel that women deserve. Nowhere has that happened. We have to legislate women’s place. Without that legislation, women will continue to struggle,” she said.
Not all panelists were in full agreement on the effectiveness of a mandate. Deputy Minister Togba expressed a different view, citing her own party’s struggles. “We at the Unity Party have tried this out,” she said. “We insisted that even though NEC has the law, we would at least have 30 percent in the Unity Party constitution. But it will surprise you to know that in this last election, we struggled to reach that amount. We struggled to get women actually to fill that seat.”
She continued, questioning the readiness of women for these roles: “You have the slot, but you don’t have women who are just ready to fill this slot. So, then what happens? How would you like this quota to be set? Is it just a quota that is going to say 30 percent women representation, and then we can’t get women who are ready to go there?”
Panelists largely agreed that quotas alone are not a silver bullet. Kemokai stressed the importance of preparing women for leadership, advocating for more mentorship, training, and financial support. “I am a woman, but I am also here because I am a qualified woman,” she noted.
Cllr. Brumskine highlighted a more foundational challenge: the “inherent problem” many Liberian men have with female leadership. For her, the discussion must also address the root causes of this cultural mindset. Hon. Barry added that a major public awareness campaign is needed to educate grassroots communities on the importance of electing women.
Like Barry, Garnett said the advocates must now focus more on educating the public on the importance of women’s leadership. “Continuing to push for instituting a quota is important because it sets the stage. We are not going to get a seat at the table because men feel that women deserve nowhere. We have to legislate women’s place. Without that legislation, women will continue to struggle,” she said.
Country Talks” series is designed to bring to life the data and insights housed in the EJS Center’s newly revamped Data Hub—a platform tracking women’s representation in executive, legislative, and judicial leadership across all 54 African countries. At the inaugural edition, women leaders from political parties, government, civil society, academia, and youth networks reflected on the national landscape for women in public leadership and their challenges.
“Country Talks is not just about numbers—it is about the stories and realities behind them,” said Ellen Pratt, EJS Center Executive Director.
The series will feature diverse voices to reflect, exchange ideas, and shape solutions.
“While two hours cannot capture the full scope of women’s contributions to Liberia, it can begin an important conversation: to honor progress, confront obstacles, and imagine a future where women’s leadership is the norm, not the exception.”
As the discussion continued, the room glittered with stories of challenges women encountered in Liberia vying for public leadership, strategies, and tools to increase their visibility.
