Unfortunately, in 2022, women are still underrepresented in politics worldwide. Of course the numbers differ strongly per country, but when I look at my own country I am still very disappointed. In the House of Representatives in the Netherlands (‘de Tweede Kamer’), we currently have 57 women. That’s 38%, because there are 150 seats. Therefore, we need hope. That’s why today I am sharing the documentary: Knock Down the House.
Good Examples
As I said, these numbers don’t apply for all countries. In Europe we have one nearly-perfect example, Iceland. In Iceland, 48% of all people in parliament are women. Pretty great! Sweden and Finland have 47 percent and 46 percent women’s representation in parliament, so these countries are also doing pretty good too. Globally, Rwanda does best, they have 61% women in parliament! Cuba, Nicaragua and Mexico are also just over the 50% mark.
I want to make this blogpost hopeful and positive. These examples above are great! But globally, only a quarter of people in parliament are women. And there are some horrible examples which have extremely low percentages, like Pakistan, Quatar and Belize. And so, we have a long way to go, but I believe we’re moving towards a more equal future!
United States
The documentary I’m discussing today is about one country alone: The United States of America. The country of the American dream and anything being possible. Well, if you’d ask me (and any historian), The United States is not a great country at all. And when it comes to this subject, they are on rank 85 of the world. Only 19.4% of all people in parliament are female in The United States. They have some work to do!
Knock Down the House
This is where the documentary Knock Down the House comes in. Knock Down the House is a documentary following 4 women in the United States of America in 2018, who want to become the next member of congres for the democratic party in their state. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Amy Vilela of Nevada, Cori Bush of Missouri, and Paula Jean Swearengin of West Virginia. The documentary follows their campaigns and their hard work.
All four women have different reasons for why they got into politics in the first place. In the documentary you hear their stories and everything they have given up so far to get to this point. Vivela is fighting for medicare for all, as she lost her daughter because of a lack of insurance. Bush wants to fight racism in politics, after Mike Brown was killed. Swearengin has lost many people around her due to cancer. She saw what some companies do to the environment and that this literally poisons people. She fights against these companies by getting into politics. And Ocasio-Cortez wants a better future for the working class, as her parents had to work 24/7 to give her a better future.
It’s stunning to see what these women have gone though and wat their motives are.
Hope
For me personally, this is a documentary of hope. There are women out there working very hard to make a difference and make this world are more equal place. But, you might not always hear about them. And that’s why this documentary is so important. We are fighting for a more equal world. Watching that makes you feel part of the whole. And it might even inspire you to do something yourself.
Political system
This documentary is centered around women and the fight for more women in politics. However, this documentary also shows how hard it is in general to get into politics in The United States. Let alone for women. People who are already in power usually have lot of money. It’s hard to fight against someone like that. More money means that it’s easier to campaign. Seeing these women fight against powerful men (who usually have a connection with a powerful industry) in a grassroots organization is truly hopeful. The future is female!
Knock Down the House can be seen on Netflix!
Have you seen the documentary Knock Down the House?
Yours sincerely,
Romee