Three women with the Bermuda Democratic Alliance hope the new party's launch can pave the way for more females to get involved in politics.

Toni Daniels, Sharon Bailie and Linda Down say there have been limited opportunities for women in both traditional parties in recent years -with just three currently sitting alongside eight men in Premier Ewart Brown's Cabinet.

They estimate about 40 percent of BDA's 100-plus members are female, and say it's been refreshing to see them all given a voice in meetings as the fledgling party pieces together its stances on issues affecting the Island.

Mrs. Bailie said "We have lots of women involved. We are all very much opinionated, very strong women, coming from a variety of backgrounds; many are strong mothers who know how to understand and communicate with people.

"I'm very disturbed that the PLP, when they had such a huge wealth of women to pick from, now they are down to three in Cabinet. That's a bit scary."

Mrs. Bailie, who did some work the United Bermuda Party before growing disillusioned with the party, said "In the UBP, the only person that I truly follow is Louise Jackson.

"She's been there a long time; I respect her views and what she does. But there's no others coming through. I sometimes think that's our own fear of putting ourselves forward, but sometimes it's not having the opportunity."

Single mother Ms Daniels, the co-owner of Down To Earth health shop on Reid Street, said "The other parties never really spoke to me. I'm a very busy mother, a business owner and all the rest of it.

"For the first time, what BDA was bringing to the fore was tantalising enough for me to make the sacrifice. I wanted to get involved and felt I had a role to play."

Ms Down, another single mother who manages the Marine Locker shop, explained what she thinks women bring to the table: "From a woman's standpoint, we have a tendency to look into the future.

"We are very concerned about the well-being of children, whereas men tend to stay focused on the moment."

Ms Daniels added:<\p>"We definitely have a perspective that's relevant. I think the men in the BDA genuinely listen to what we have to say -that's refreshing."

Ms Down and Mrs. Bailie are both 52, and Ms Daniels is 38, but they had never previously been so active in politics. They don't plan to stand as candidates if a General Election is called soon, but are playing unsung organisational roles behind the scenes as BDA sets about tasks such as fund-raising and marketing.

They got involved as word-of-mouth spread about BDA's efforts to break the PLP-UBP stalemate which many say has stagnated Bermudian politics.

Ms Daniels, who has voted for the PLP and UBP in the past, said "I felt disenfranchised with the whole environment here on the Island. The core values and principles of the BDA really spoke to me.

"I have got a sense of passion and excitement for the future which I have never felt about Bermudian politics before. It's inspired me to become involved and stay involved. It's beyond first blush stuff here for me. I felt I could no longer remain on the sidelines and make excuses.

"The other thing about BDA is that it's a very empowering party. It's allowing people to become involved and actually help construct the party."

Some have criticised the Alliance for failing to reveal its platform in detail, but the three women argued BDA needs to democratically form its stances on issues by assessing the thoughts of everyone involved.

Ms Daniels said "It's hard for people to grasp that. They are used to having it spoon-fed in a box; everything that's in a package."

A BDA presentation and question and answer session takes place at the Leopards Club at 7.30 p.m. today. The Alliance will be outlining its core values, with speeches and an explanation of how new members can help BDA.