Parliaments & Representatives

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.

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.

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.

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

Full article here.

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.

Full article here.