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https://www.barrons.com/news/czech-women-battle-for-respect-in-hostile-politics-92d85093
Czech Women Battle For Respect In 'Hostile' Politics
Czech Women Battle For Respect In 'Hostile' Politics

Czech lawmaker Martina Ochodnicka is quitting after a single term, upset with hateful, misogynistic comments and a general lack of support for women politicians.

The 41-year-old deputy head of the right-wing coalition party TOP 09 is one of several women leaving parliament after serving four years, ahead of this weekend's general election.

"Women in Czech politics face unnecessary obstacles," Ochodnicka, who has looked to raise awareness of the attitudes and other issues women face, told AFP.

Rather than over her role as a lawmaker, she was under public scrutiny as a mother of three, said Ochodnicka, who had worked as a village mayor before becoming a lawmaker in 2021.

Full article.

 

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https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/573844/bougainville-election-prominent-female-candidate-theonila-roka-matbob-loses-seat
Bougainville election: Prominent female candidate Theonila Roka Matbob loses seat
Bougainville election: Prominent female candidate Theonila Roka Matbob loses seat

Theonila Roka Matbob, one of the most prominent female candidates in the Bougainville election, has lost her seat.

Matbob, the member for Ioro in Central Bougainville - a region encompassing Panguna - was "very confident" of holding the seat despite being up against ten male candidates.

She was one of 34 women out of a field of more than 400 candiates contesting seats in the Bougainville House of Representatives.

In 2020, she was one of only two women to win an open seat.

Matbob was a vocal advocate who led a successful campaign to have Rio Tinto, a mining multi-national, to consider the damage caused by the mine it used to own.

She was at the forefront of the push for an assessment into the damage caused by the troubled Panguna gold mine - one of the world's largest copper and gold mines - in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region.

Full article here.

 

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Are women better lawmakers than men? A nuanced yes, researcher finds
Are women better lawmakers than men? A nuanced yes, researcher finds

Women face an uphill battle to political election, and they continue to confront barriers to success afterward. But the type of legislature in their states can make a difference.

A new study from Virginia Commonwealth University researcher Jatia Wrighten, Ph.D., and colleagues finds that women are more effective lawmakers than men when serving in professional state legislatures, which are generally in session full-time, than when serving in part-time legislatures that have lower barriers to entry, lower salaries and fewer staff.

Once elected, women in professional legislatures are often more effective even when given less notable committee assignments, Wrighten finds. She said that means that voters in general are better served by professional legislatures, where more diverse voices, including those of women, are represented. Wrighten, an assistant professor in VCU’s Department of Political Science in the College of Humanities and Sciences, recently spoke about her findings, which were published in The Journal of Politics.

What does it mean for a state legislator to be effective?

Legislative effectiveness can be measured in several ways. In our article, we measure legislative effectiveness by the lawmaker’s ability to “act for” their constituents in policymaking. In other words, are women able to have their voices heard in legislatures, does their committee work matter, and do resources constrain them due to the level of professionalism in the legislature?

What roadblocks do women face before and after election?

As one can imagine, living in a patriarchy, women who run for office face sexism, which manifests in many ways. Many voters hold women to a higher standard than men who run for office and do not see them as leaders. Women running for office have been critiqued on their physical appearance, criticized for their voices being “too high” or “annoying,” questioned for their ability to both run for office and manage their families, and questioned when they do not have families. Once women are elected, they face much of the same from their male peers. They are also placed on lower-ranked committees, which have fewer resources than other committees, and are relegated to those labeled as focusing on “women’s issues,” such as education, criminal justice or health.

Full article here.

 

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https://valorinternational.globo.com/politics/news/2025/09/24/women-remain-under-20percent-of-elected-officials-in-brazil.ghtml
Women remain under 20% of elected officials in Brazil
Women remain under 20% of elected officials in Brazil

An apparent bottleneck exists in women’s participation in politics: the number of female party members exceeds the number of female candidates, which in turn is almost double the number of women elected, who, on average, account for less than one-fifth of all winners at the polls. This is shown by a survey conducted by Valor based on data from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). 

This pattern, repeated in every election, is not restricted to a particular ideology. It occurs in parties on both the right and the left and is unrelated to party size; from the largest to the smallest, the funnel phenomenon remains.

To become a candidate, a woman must first be a party member. Gender inequality in politics begins there. Women account for an average of 46.4% of party members—a figure that may seem high but does not reflect the reality of Brazil’s population. According to the 2022 Demographic Census, 51.5% of the population is female.

Full article here.

 

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https://infopetitenation.ca/the-role-of-brigitte-macron-in-french-politics/
The Role of Brigitte Macron in French Politics
The Role of Brigitte Macron in French Politics

Introduction

Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, has emerged as a significant figure in French politics and society. Her active involvement in various social initiatives and her unique position as the spouse of the president have made her a central figure in discussions about contemporary leadership and gender roles in politics. As France navigates uncertain times, Brigitte’s influence and advocacy on critical issues have become increasingly relevant.

Brigitte’s Background

Brigitte Macron, born on April 13, 1953, in Amiens, France, was a high school drama teacher before her marriage to Emmanuel Macron. The two met when Macron was just 15 years old, and their relationship began much later, defying conventional societal norms. Her educational background and experience in teaching have fueled her commitment to education reform and children’s welfare.

Advocacy and Contributions

As the First Lady of France, Brigitte has taken an active role in advocating for education, health, and women’s rights. She has particularly focused on issues surrounding youth education, launching several initiatives aimed at improving literacy and emotional support for children. Brigitte has also been a vocal advocate for anti-bullying campaigns, emphasizing the need for a supportive school environment.

Full article here.

 

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https://www.nation.com.pk/23-Sep-2025/progress-without-women?version=amp
No Progress Without Women
No Progress Without Women

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.

Full article here.

 

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Women in Politics Map 2019
Women in Politics Map 2019

This map is a unique visual tool that captures women’s participation in executive government and in parliament on a given date—1st January 2019. The map of Women in Politics not only provides a country ranking for both ministerial and parliamentary representation, but also statistics on women in political leadership positions—Heads of State or government, women Speakers of Parliament, as well as ministerial portfolios held by women throughout the world. Borders are depicted and used on the map in order to present data. They are not the expression of any opinion concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries.

Click here to download the map in English. 

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Women in parliament in 2018: The year in review
Women in parliament in 2018: The year in review

The annual report provides an update and analysis of progress made and setbacks encountered by women in parliament further to elections and renewals held over a year. Produced every year on the occasion of International Women's Day (8 March), it presents data on women in national parliaments, regional and world trends, information on women presiding officers and women candidates. It also analyses mechanisms aimed at supporting women's access to parliament. The report is short and easy to read, providing a snapshot on the situation of women in parliaments worldwide.

Click here to see the report.

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Barriers to Women Entering Parliament and Local Government in the United Kingdom
Barriers to Women Entering Parliament and Local Government in the United Kingdom

In January 2018, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) commissioned this rapid evidence review, the two broad aims of which were to identify: a) barriers to women’s participation in local and national government; and b) evidence of policies and practices, sometimes referred to as Positive Action Mechanisms, which have increased their levels of participation.

An established way of examining the barriers that women face to widening their political representation is to explore supply and demand issues. For the purposes of this review, supply and demand barriers have been collapsed into a typology comprising three overall themes: social and cultural barriers; structural and institutional barriers; and knowledge and information barriers.

Much of the literature and research suggests that gender quotas are the most effective method for increasing numbers of women and quantitative analysis has pointed to their broader impact for political engagement as they encourage more women to stand for election, and incentivise political parties to target women’s votes. However, although quotas increase the number of women elected, the evidence points to the fact that they do not necessarily ensure the success of women once elected, as quotas do not tackle the gendered practices of political institutions. The literature emphasises the need for quotas to be accompanied by a broader array of measures.

Click here to read the report.

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Representation Matters: Women in the U.S. Congress
Representation Matters: Women in the U.S. Congress

The importance of having women serving in Congress is still not fully appreciated or understood. In order to document women’s contributions to governing and understand how women are navigating the contemporary environment of party polarization, the Center for American Women and Politics, with support from Political Parity, embarked on a major research study of the 114th Congress.

Click here to read the report. 

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Youth participation in national parliaments: 2018
Youth participation in national parliaments: 2018

Promoting the participation of young people in political life is becoming a higher priority worldwide. Over one third of the 169 targets established as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relate to young people and the importance of their empowerment, participation and well-being. Twenty targets across six SDGs – relating to hunger, education, gender equality, decent work, inequality and climate change – specifically focus on youth.

In 2014, recognizing the absence of systematic data and information on youth representation in parliaments, the IPU designed a first-of-its-kind database on the subject, to collect the relevant data through parliaments. The result was the first report on youth participation in national parliaments, which was published in October 2014 and updated in 2016. This 2018 report provides updated information on the percentages and genders of parliamentarians under the ages of 30, 40 and 45, as well as the latest information on special mechanisms designed to encourage or enhance the participation of young people in national parliaments. 

Some key findings:

  • Young people under age 30 constitute just over 2 per cent of the world’s parliamentarians.
  • 15.5 per cent of the world’s MPs are under age 40 – up from 14.2 per cent in 2016, an increase of 1.3 percentage points.
  • 28.1 per cent of the world’s MPs are under age 45 – up from 26 per cent in 2016, a 2.1 percentage point increase. 
  • The global proportion of MPs under age 30 has increased by only 0.3 percentage points since 2016 (from 1.9% to 2.2%).
  • 2.2 per cent of the world’s MPs are under age 30 – up from 1.9 per cent in 2016, a slight increase of 0.3 percentage points.
  • Male MPs continue to outnumber their female counterparts in every age group.
  • The gender imbalance is less pronounced among the youngest MPs in each parliament, for whom the male/female ratio is approximately 60:40. Encouraging signs 
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Click here to see the report.

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Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Europe
Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Europe

This regional study seeks to take the initial findings of a 2016 IPU report further, focusing specifically on the situation in parliaments in Europe. It is the result of close collaboration between the IPU and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and is the first in a series of regional studies that the IPU wishes to conduct on the subject. The study also broadens the scope of the research to include harassment and violence against female parliamentary staff.

Based on interviews with 123 female MPs and parliamentary staff in Council of Europe member States, the survey continues the work already carried out to provide figures and document a range of sexist and violent behavior against women in parliaments. It also seeks to assess the extent and highlight the particular forms of such abuse in Europe. The study therefore aims to break the silence and persistent taboos and to contribute to the fight against gender-based behavior and violence wherever they occur.

Click here to see the report.

 

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