Parliaments and Representatives

In 2024, 1.5 billion people are expected to vote in national elections in what will be a record year for democracy, with elections happening in at least 64 countries and the European Union. 

So what will that mean for women in leadership at a time when men still overwhelmingly dominate on the world stage?

In November 2023, an online video showed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Medina, Saudi Arabia, being greeted with slogans of "Bhua, bhua." The original footage of the prime minister's Medina visit had no such sounds in the background, and the audio was found to have been added from a different, unrelated incident.

Although two women — Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia — served as prime ministers of Bangladesh for 31 out of 33 years since 1991, the representation of women in national politics is still negligible.

The low rate of participation of Bangla women in politics is clear when looking at the number of women candidates contesting the upcoming 12th general election. According to the Election Commission, 92 contestants out of 1,891 vying for 300 seats are women. That's 4.86%.

Women’s political representation in Indonesia may fall for the first time since the 1999 election, even before the voting starts. 

The Standing Committee on State Structure of the Parliament, in cooperation with the UN Promoting Gender Equality and Women's Participation in Decision-making project, organized the First Conference of Women Parliamentarians on September 7, 2022.

The Conference of Women Parliamentarians 2023 is to be organized in Chinggis Khaan Hall at the State Palace on December 12, 2023, Montsame notes.

Executive director of Baobab for Women Human Rights, Bunmi Dipo-Salami, said the violence against women in politics is rarely reported.

While stressing that the society needs to understand that women are not second-class citizens, she expressed regret that there are still impediments on the paths of women in politics.