Malawi's Parliament was given a stark reminder this week of just how tough -- and often unforgiving -- the political arena can be for women.

Grace Kwelepeta, MP for Zomba Malosa, delivered an emotional but pointed appeal, warning that female politicians are still fighting uphill battles that their male counterparts rarely face.

Speaking during debate on a report by the Parliamentary Women's Caucus, Kwelepeta praised Parliament, Oxfam and other partners for helping women MPs build leadership skills.

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But she made clear that training alone cannot fix the deeper problem: women's positions in Parliament remain fragile, easily undermined and too often left unprotected.

Kwelepeta said the Caucus had made progress in uniting female legislators, yet the reality outside the chamber remains harsh.

"It is not easy to be a woman politician. We undergo a lot of things. We are mothers, we are wives, and we are supposed also to be Members of Parliament. We have to balance all those issues," she said -- a line that drew murmurs across the House.

She urged the Speaker's office to shield leadership roles currently held by women, insisting that when vacancies arise, those positions must continue to be filled by women to prevent backsliding.

"Protect the chairmanships and vice-chairmanships held by women. If anything happens, those positions should remain with fellow women," she appealed.

Her remarks come as the Women's Caucus engages the Ministry of Gender, the Malawi Human Rights Commission and the Malawi Police Service over rising gender-based violence -- a crisis that has left many female leaders feeling exposed both in public life and in their constituencies.

Kwelepeta's message was blunt: being a woman in politics is still a battle, and unless Parliament actively protects female leadership, Malawi risks losing the very voices it claims to empower.