Mrs. Louise Weir:

Yes, the media, the language and how we use it are important. When it comes to representation, to get at that social element, we need a language change. That is mentioned in women's dialogue and in strategic dialogue. We have to do that part right, we must get the media part right and we have to build capacity.

There is another part to consider. We are all of a generation that is used to a patriarchal society, for want of a better definition. Perhaps we need a bit of open-mindedness. We need to throw off the shackles of the gender biases of which we are not conscious. They are unconscious biases we carry with us. Would we vote women into the positions we are discussing? We have not seen women in these roles. Do we really believe they can do them?

There are many strands to this issue. There is the question of the training capacity of other people to invite women in and make that space. There is the quota issue. There is the need for community engagement at the bottom level. Then there is the education system. Should we bring into school curriculums the topics of women in politics and women in agriculture? There are so many strands. As I said at the beginning of the meeting, addressing these issues is complex but not impossible. We have models and there are approaches we can take.