Parliaments & Representatives

The role of women in politics is vital for any nation’s progress. A country cannot move forward if half its population is excluded from decision-making. In Pakistan, however, women face serious obstacles in entering politics.

A major problem is the lack of political awareness. Many women, especially in rural areas, have little access to education. Even when they are interested, family pressures hold them back. Fathers, brothers, and husbands discourage their involvement, while economic barriers make contesting elections difficult. Reserved seats for women exist, but they are largely controlled by influential families, leaving little space for ordinary women to rise.

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OTTAWA, Ontario, Sept. 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Informed Perspectives reveals that Canada’s status as a global champion of gender equality is under serious threat. In just 25 years, the country has plummeted from 28^th to 71^st place in world rankings for women’s representation. This significant decline highlights the inadequacy of our current approach to achieving parity in Canadian politics. 

This backslide has occurred despite overwhelming support for change. New polling from Abacus Data reveals that gender parity is a core belief for most Canadians, with 86% saying it’s important to have equal representation of men and women in politics at all levels of government.

Democracy Deficit

“Equal representation is fundamentally about democracy and trust,” said Shari Graydon, Catalyst at Informed Perspectives. “Canadians overwhelmingly expect that women should hold the balance of power in politics at all levels, and Canada cannot claim to be a global leader on equality while men dominate at 70% in our highest decision-making body.”

The consequences extend far beyond representation numbers. A significant majority of Canadians understand that gender parity delivers tangible benefits to Canadian democracy, with roughly four in five people saying that ensuring a balance of power among elected representatives leads to: 

• Improved policy outcomes that accurately reflect the diverse realities of the entire population

• Stronger political discourse reflecting increased civility and respect

• More effective governance through increased productivity 

• Stronger democratic legitimacy through greater cross-partisan collaboration

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Japan could soon see its first female prime minister, with Sanae Takaichi emerging among the front runners in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership race, a significant achievement in a country where women leaders remain a rarity.

Hardline conservative Takaichi has consistently been a public favorite, along with agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi, ahead of the LDP’s leadership vote on Oct. 4. Last year, Takaichi narrowly lost to outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the runoff round of the LDP leadership race.

If Takaichi wins both party and parliamentary votes, she will make history as Japan’s first female premier. For a country that has seen limited progress on gender equality, especially in politics, that could represent a watershed moment.

“Having a woman become prime minister could really shift how the world sees Japan,” said Hiroko Takeda, a professor at the Graduate School of Law, Nagoya University, who has researched politics and gender issues.

Japan ranks 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index, trailing behind nations such as Senegal and Angola. The Asian country scores especially poorly in political and economic participation, having never appointed a female prime minister, finance minister or central bank governor.

Female representation in parliament also remains limited. As of August, women make up just 15.7% of the more powerful lower house, well below the global average of 27.1% and the Asian regional average of 22.1%, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

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On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a plea seeking to expand the scope of the Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment at Workplace (POSH) Act, 2013, to include political parties. The court observed that such organisations cannot be classified as workplaces under the law. The plea was filed by Advocate Yogamaya M G, seeking recognition of political parties as workplaces in order to bring them under the POSH framework.

“How can you include political parties as a workplace? Joining a party is not a place of employment,” remarked Chief Justice Gavai during the hearing. The bench further stated that "It will open a Pandora's box... there will be blackmail." The CJI further added that political engagement does not constitute employment as there is "no payment."

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Abstract

Nonconsensual synthetic intimate imagery (NSII)—content depicting an individual that is digitally altered to be sexual or nude without their consent—targeting women in politics is underreported and underresearched. This report examines how NSII is weaponized against public officials through an exploratory analysis of 100 documented cases across 14 countries between 2017 and 2025. The findings show that women comprise the vast majority of victims, spanning from presidential candidates to local commissioners, with attacks often strategically timed during critical pre-election moments. NSII inflicts individual trauma, including psychological damage, reputational harm, and significant legal and administrative burdens on candidates and public officials. Current legal and technical approaches are limited in countering NSII creation and distribution due to complexities in defining NSII and related technical concepts, enforcement gaps, and insufficient technical remedies for addressing the core harms of professional delegitimization and psychological damage. The report concludes with recommendations for civil society, governments, and technology companies to prevent NSII creation and limit its distribution, emphasizing that addressing this threat is essential not only to protect individual victims but also to preserve the integrity and inclusiveness of democratic institutions.

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