(2017) 1 African Human Rights Yearbook 65 countries through affirmative action, enabling national legislation and other measures to ensure that: a) women participate without any discrimination in all elections; b) women are represented equally at all levels with men in all electoral processes; c) women are equal partners with men at all levels of development and implementation of State policies and development programmes. 2. States Parties shall ensure increased and effective representation and participation of women at all levels of decision-making. Article 9 provides for the equal (50-50) representation of women in political and decision-making institutions. The requirement of equal participation in political life should ensure for equal women participation without discrimination at all levels of development, decision-making and electoral processes. For state parties to achieve equal representation of women in politics and decision-making processes, they are supposed to take positive action through affirmative action, enabling legislation and other measures. Put differently, article 9 dwells more on the processes and is silent on the outcomes of these processes. Outcomes in this case would mean equal representation of men and women in Parliaments and different institutions of a country. The equal representation and participation of women in political and decision-making improves governance. Women are believed to be naturally caring, kinder and more altruistic as compared to men. Honour et al’s study on India noted that female members of parliament had a more caring and nurturing style of leadership, which is further defined as ‘interactive’ when compared to men who operate with a ‘transactional’, command-and-control approach.24 With their motherly touch, women dilute or totally change the political culture of men in law and policy reform, and allocate crucial resources to the needy in society. Nzomo states that ‘it is now generally accepted that women constitute a key national resource, whose ideas, creative solutions and concern for cohesiveness of the social fabric can help change the quality of life and society at large’.25 With these attributes, women may bring a different set of values, which is important in creating a more caring, pluralist and compassionate society.26 The other argument for women participation is based on varied interests of men and women. Men and women are somehow different, hence the need for separate representation.27 As Shvedova noted, ‘the majority of governing institutions are dominated by men who further 24 T Honour J Barry & S Palnitkar ‘The quota innovation: gender and Indian politics: experience and prospects’ (1999) 18 Equal Opportunities International 7 1-16. 25 M Nzomo ‘Women in politics and public decision-making’ in U Himmelstrand (eds) African perspectives on development (2003). 26 J Squires & M Wiekham-Jones Women in Parliament: a comparative analysis Equal Opportunities Commission (2001) 6. 27 D Dahlerup ‘Using quotas to increase women’s political representation’ in J Ballington & A Karam (eds) Women in Parliament: beyond numbers (2005) 94; CON Moser Gender planning and development: theory, practice and training (1993).