A rising star in the Greek opposition, Syriza's Rena Dourou was assaulted on TV by a Golden Dawn spokesmanGaby Hinsliff introduces the Observer's series on female politicians around the world
Twenty months after becoming an MP, Rena Dourou, 39, has run up against many of the problems that female parliamentarians encounter in Greece. There is, she says, the dilemma of being perceived as a "bitch or a bimbo" or "severe or soft" or "serious or stupid". And that's before talk even turns to the issue of hair. "Now I am blonde and I am going to keep it that way until I turn grey," she says. "And they are going to have to accept you can be blonde and involved in foreign and defence policy."
Four years after Athens' financial meltdown, most MPs daren't walk the streets because the political establishment is widely blamed for bringing debt-crippled Greece to the brink of ruin. "Even my mother says this is not the time to go into politics," she smiles. "But then she does add that at a time like this, when things are just so difficult, someone's got to do it."
As a rising star in Greece's main opposition party, the radical left Syriza, Dourou has the distinct advantage of not only being untested by power but belonging to a camp that appears to have the popular dynamic behind it. With Syriza leading the polls, she may well end up as Athens' next prefect – a post she was put forward for last week – when crucial local elections are held in May. If so, she will oversee more than 4 million people and a substantial budget.
Dourou, who has handled Syriza's defence and foreign policy since they morphed from fringe to mainstream party in 2012, emerged out of the anti-globalisation movement. She takes immense pride in saying that since joining Syriza in 2004 – the year the leftist alliance was formed – she has never been on its payroll. "That way you can lose the autonomy of your views."
None of this was pre-ordained. As the daughter of a policeman, she grew up in an environment where "no one was reading Freud or Lacan. But in a primitive way they were very liberal, very feminist. There were no stereotypes. My parents were conservatives but when I told them I had voted for the left they were immensely proud because they believed in the notion of citizenship."
Dourou worries that with the meteoric rise of Greece's neo-fascist Golden Dawn party, the country is embroiled in "a crisis of democracy". Although Syriza has more female MPs than any other party – 27 of its 71-strong parliamentary group are women – she is anxious that the debt crisis will deter women from going into politics. "The very first tweet to greet the news of my candidacy for the Athens prefecture was a joke about my thighs," she says.
Dourou was famously assaulted by Golden Dawn's spokesman, Ilias Kasidiaris, during a televised talk show in 2012. The next day Dourou received emails in which Greeks, including women, applauded Kasidiaris, who threw a glass of water in her face and lashed out at another female MP who stood up to protest.
Dourou recalls the attack with a mixture of dignity and regret. "My reaction? It was to going to happen because that is how they behave." She sighs. "People who don't know me were shocked at how calm I was. But I'm always like that. I can't remember the last time I cried … being calm is a great quality to have in politics."
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