{"id":122437,"date":"2025-01-20T10:37:13","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T07:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/122437\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"candidates-avoid-gender-agenda","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/122437\/","title":{"rendered":"Candidates avoid gender agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Viktoryja Listapadava<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candidates handpicked by \u0141uka\u0161enka avoid discussing gender equality, fearing backlash.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n (Tim Mossholder \/ unsplash.com)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pseudo-candidates view women as mothers only<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Siarheij Syranko\u016d, a representative of the Communist Party of Belarus, promises to protect female mothers and male fathers, emphasizing the need to elevate the public role of mothers and fathers. To this end, he proposes introducing ethics and family life psychology classes in schools, echoing a subject that was once part of the Soviet Union\u2019s curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksandar Chi\u017eniak, of the Republican Party of Labor and Justice, and Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka do not address gender rights in their platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Aleh Hajdukievi\u010d, advocates for “the promotion of the cult of the family in society” and the protection of Belarusian traditional values, asserting that “the family is the foundation of state development.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Hanna Kanapackaja asserts that \u201ca woman with political and public experience, a true patriot of the country, has a high chance of being elected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the modern, rapidly changing, and diverse world, the male model of single-handed state rule can no longer be considered the only possible and effective one. The key criteria for selecting a leader should be love for the Motherland, honesty and the people’s trust, not gender identity or personal charisma,\u201d she contends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She promises measures to support mothers and children, programs to boost the birth rate, and initiatives for supporting young families. Among her proposals is lowering the marriage age for women to 17, contingent upon parental consent. Currently, the average age for women at their first childbirth is 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women face major obstacles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The candidates avoid raising gender equality issues for fear that doing so could be perceived as criticism of the government, said Julija Mickievi\u010d, a feminist activist, in an interview with The Viewer<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since all the candidates are running with the approval of the top leadership, “they cannot say anything that conflicts with \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s ideology,” Mickievi\u010d explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She further noted that the current gender arrangement is about control over resources. \u201cPatriarchal society consists of those who control the resources (men) and those who are subordinate to them, primarily women and men who do not fit within patriarchal gender standards. The current government is comfortable with this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Belarus held genuine a democratic election, Kanapackaja would not be the only female candidate, and other contenders would address gender equality more openly, Mickievi\u010d added, but this is impossible under dictatorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the current regime, women and men who are not named Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka stand no chance, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian leader has made his stance on women crystal clear on numerous occasions. For instance, during a visit to Minsk\u2019s Traktor Stadium on November 14, he remarked, \u201cI hope to God they will not elect a woman in Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gender equality essential for democracy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Democracy cannot exist without gender equality, as women make up more than 50 percent of the population in almost every country across Europe, Mickievi\u010d argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the post-2020 crackdown on civil society, all voices advocating for gender equality have been silenced in Belarus, she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the gender pay gap persists, with women earning 20-25 percent less than men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mickievi\u010d also pointed to the issue of gender inequality in the cultivation of stereotypes that women must prioritize family care over careers and the imposition of other constraints on women\u2019s roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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