“. . . we need knowledgeable women to voice problems . . .”

“No matter what position she takes, she should not lose her womanliness,” says the mother of three artists. Founded at the beginning of the Karabakh movement her “Armenian Women Intellectuals” cultural organization started with helping women present themselves and their ideas at various international events. “In those years we were still unaware of women’s rights; therefore the participation in the World Women’s Conference in Beijing 1995 was a big experience for me. After the event the Armenian women’s movement followed the international experience,” says Adamyan. Adamyan says ignoring the potential of the majority of the population is something the new republic cannot afford.

“Women in the National Assembly make just 4.5 percent; their portion in the government is only 2 percent. It’s too little in this man’s world, when women have so many problems and where we need knowledgeable women to voice those problems and to bring proper solutions to them,” says Adamyan.

The National Assembly has passed an amendment calling for a 15 percent quota for women in party lists, but Adamyan thinks this is not sufficient. (The amendment itself is still in its first reading.)

“This is not enough; the amendment should have provided 15 percent of women in the parliament as an end result, otherwise the practice has proved women are listed last in the party lists and when parties pass only the 5 percent benchmark, none of the women from their lists enters the National Assembly,” says Adamyan.

She supports women's participation in the upcoming elections, although usually there is little possibility of being elected. The main reason she says is the lack of sufficient financial resources for women, which is an important factor in Armenian elections.

“Legislation provides equality for women, we are signatories to a number of international conventions on women’s rights, but all these things are still on paper,” Adamyan says. “Inclusion of women is frequently an imitation and is a declarative measure aimed at showing that party includes women in its lists. But where do they write in the women’s names? They do it in the end. Women are appointed to positions, but the positions they take do not suppose making vital decisions.”

Adamyan is confident women have the potential; they need to be given opportunity. But ambition, says the woman honored for both her professionalism and motherhood, need not interfere with family.

“We need to raise girls who are active, self-confident, but who honor family at the same time and will be good housewives,” she says, “so that they don’t lose the traditional role of being the pillar of the family.”

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