Segretaria generale degli Yes, Young European Socialists. Una (giovane) donna in politica.

Abbiamo fatto un paio di domande ad Ana Pirtskhalava, segretaria degli Yes ovvero la più grande organizzazione politica giovanile in Europa. Gli Yes uniscono i giovani dei movimenti socialisti, socialdemocratici e laburisti di tutto il continente europeo e hanno una visione precisa: un’Europa unica e democratica, basata sulle libertà e i diritti umani individuali e collettivi. Sul loro sito trovate le loro attività e impegno.

Perché abbiamo voluto coinvolgere Ana? Perché è una giovane donna, fortemente impegnata in politica e soprattutto rappresenta la meglio gioventù europea: i loro obiettivi, il loro impegno, le loro lotte…che poi sono anche le nostre!

L’intervista è in inglese, in fondo trovate la versione italiana in formato podcast nel nostro YOUSOPOD!

Women once they step on the politic wagon are disruptive, this is a fact, but we need more women. How do the future will be in your opinion?

“Women need more women in politics” that has been true and relevant statement that we are making since few decades now. We have some significant results achieved that we have to celebrate and be proud of: implementation of gender quotas at the many decision-making bodies, gender mainstreaming, talking glass ceiling, equal pay for equal work campaigns etc.  

But is it enough? The answer is no! Above mentioned measures are very important and much needed but they mostly are addressing the consequences not the root causes of the problem. If we want to see more women in politics, we also need to make sure that women have enough free time to get involved in political activism, in unions, organizations, parties. We have to make sure that they are not the only care takers and that they do not do all the housework alone, we also need to make sure that women’s only function is not reproduction of the future generations that is very underrated and nonremunerated work itself. To show their full potential women need education, laws and system that protect them from violence, the accessible childcare centers, indiscriminatory laws at work. Women need a free time to get active in public sphere, and when they will not work double shift that usually starts with the paid work in public and then unpaid one at home, then we can make sure that all women, not the only few privileged ones who are coming from the families that can afford that lifestyle, can get to politics.

Following your experience, you represent the young progressive generation, how do you combine and mix activism and social rights movements. Which direction do you see in the next future?

It is a fact that young people are no longer keen to join the traditional political parties. Even though I represent the political party youth organizations, we are still not the majority of the youth and we do not represent all young people around Europe. When I meet some friends who are not directly involved in political movements, I see that sometimes they look at me with a lot of questions marks on why I decided to join the political movement and why I am investing so much time and energy from my life into this very, for their understanding, life consuming activity of being the member of the ideological, traditional party structure.

Despite above mentioned fact we also see many young people are taking over the streets of almost every big and small cities of the world to protest against climate change, racial discriminations etc. It shows that young people are not apathetic of the world around them but they just care in their own way and organize themselves in a different structure.

Therefore I think we as people coming from political parties also need to reflect on those changing word and tendencies of organizing and activism, we keep up with it, otherwise we will continue blaming it on youth not caring enough for the politics that will even more marginalize them and widen the gap between generations.