Abstract:
The Women's Parliament was established to ensure women from different levels of society were able to participate in the political development of the country, according to the Speaker of the South African National Assembly, Baleka Mbete.
Addressing the 2008 Women's Parliament on Monday, Ms Mbete said previously women tended to be marginalised from political development because they were so "busy being the backbone of families" and that they tended to leave the politics to men.
However, the Women's Parliament had enriched the processes in Parliament which affect the lives of many South Africans.
