Parliaments & Representatives
Each year on 8 March, International Women’s Day is marked with speeches, seminars, public pledges, and celebratory slogans. Government bodies, political leaders, and civil society organisations speak passionately about gender equality, empowerment, and progress. The day generates visibility and symbolic commitment. Yet when the ceremonies end, the urgency often fades, while the daily realities confronting women remain stubbornly unchanged.
This stark contrast between formal promises and lived experience raises a pressing question: beyond the rhetoric, how much genuine progress is being made for women’s rights and empowerment in Bangladesh.
Women’s socio-economic, cultural, and political empowerment remains one of the country’s most significant unfinished challenges. Over the years, Bangladesh has built an international reputation for supporting women’s development. It has constitutional guarantees of equality and is party to major global human rights agreements. On paper, this framework signals commitment. In practice, however, millions of women still navigate lives shaped by insecurity, exclusion, discrimination, and multiple forms of violence. The distance between legal recognition and everyday reality exposes a deep contradiction within the nation’s democratic and development journey (source: Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh).
THIMPHU – In 2016, when Kinley Zangmo first put her name forward for the Mangmi post in Talo Gewog, Punakha, many still whispered that politics was a man’s domain.
She was competing against three male candidates and stepping into a space she once believed was not meant for women. Yet when the ballots were counted, the villagers had chosen her.
The victory did more than hand her a seat; it reshaped her understanding of what was possible. Five years later, encouraged by the confidence she had earned and the trust she had built with voters, she contested again in 2021. This time, she said, she was not surprised by the outcome. She won.
For the 41-year-old, winning two consecutive terms represents more than personal milestones. “They signal a quiet shift in voter attitudes,” she said. “People are beginning to see that women are capable. But we have to prove ourselves when we are given the chance.”
While women make up more than half of Bhutan’s population, they are largely underrepresented in leadership positions. Yet, in recent years, women have become more visible in leadership roles, from local government positions to senior public appointments, suggesting that perceptions toward women in leadership may be gradually evolving.
In Uganda, women continue to occupy a growing share of parliamentary and leadership positions, reflecting deliberate policy efforts and affirmative action initiatives aimed at narrowing the gender gap
KAMPALA - Gains in women’s political representation across the Great Lakes region are increasingly being overshadowed by a troubling rise in gender-based violence (GBV), raising concerns about the depth and sustainability of gender equality progress.
According to Jean Paul Kimonyo, the regional director at the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the region has registered notable improvements in the inclusion of women in political and governance structures.
In Uganda, women continue to occupy a growing share of parliamentary and leadership positions, reflecting deliberate policy efforts and affirmative action initiatives aimed at narrowing the gender gap.
He said, “I was told that the British High Commission is a major sponsor of this programme. I had the opportunity of meeting with the Deputy High Commissioner when she visited Bayelsa last week, and we discussed women participation in politics.
“She believes that the agitation for special seats for women in the National Assembly is good. While I agreed with her, in part, as a temporary solution, I however largely disagree with the idea. My point is, I do not want our women to be treated as second-class citizens.
“The women in Britain do not have special seats in parliament just as in America. The system flows and recognises them, and they participate fully in politics. Nobody talks about special seats or women being under-privileged there. We can do it in Nigeria.
Globally, the representation of women in politics has shown a slow but steady upward trend over many years. However, the latest data suggests that this progress has now come to a standstill, and in some areas has even begun to reverse.
The ‘Women in Politics 2026’ map published by UN Women and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) shows that women’s presence in decision-making bodies remains limited and that this limitation is becoming increasingly apparent. In Turkey, however, this picture points to a deeper inequality that goes beyond the global average.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A WOMAN PRESIDENT IN 101 COUNTRIES
On a global scale, women still do not occupy the centre of political power. The fact that only 22.4 per cent of ministerial posts are held by women and that parliamentary representation stands at just 27.5 per cent indicates that the long-standing narrative of ‘gradual progress’ has now stalled. Even more striking is the picture at the leadership level: Whilst only 28 countries worldwide are led by a woman, the fact that 101 countries have never had a woman leader highlights just how deeply rooted inequality is at the highest levels of politics.
Advocates belonging to liberal parties in Asia have called for an end to the non-physical violence against women in politics.
House Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima of ML Party-list, Deputy Director for Youth Development Michelle Wu of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party and V Srivarathanabul, MP candidate of Thailand’s Democrat Party, raised the concern during the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) forum on Democracy Resilience at Risk: Violence Against Women in Politics in Asia held late Thursday.
“When we speak of violence against women in politics, we often describe it in terms of harm: harm to dignity, harm to safety, harm to participation. In the Philippines, we are often told we are doing above average because women are visible in public office, yet many of those openings still run through dynastic gates and the political culture remains deeply patriarchal and intensely masculine,” de Lima said.
The IPU grew in 2023 with the accession of the parliaments of Liberia and the Bahamas, its 179th and 180th Members respectively, as well as many observers and partners signing up to join or rejoin our global parliamentary community.
Read here more highlights of the year in the Impact Report 2023 published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union on March 2024.
It’s no secret that women have made unprecedented strides in seeking and attaining elected office over the last decade. Twenty-eight percent of elected officials in Congress are women (compared to 19 percent 10 years ago), nearly one-third of our state legislature seats are held by women, and we have our first-ever woman vice president.
But while more women are winning elected positions, the looming gender bias within our political system persists. And according to a number of women elected throughout various levels of government — it’s one hurdle to win an election, but quite another to thrive in office.
That was the consensus among more than 60 women across the political spectrum — including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego — who were interviewed for a year-long reporting project by Cosmopolitan, “How to Succeed in Office.” The report was produced in partnership with Melinda French Gates-founded Pivotal Ventures.
Read here the full article published by MSNBC News on 16 May 2024.
Image by MSNBC News
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Gendered disinformation is being used across Africa as a tactic to silence critics and exclude women from online civic discourses, new research shows.
A new book ‘Digital Disinformation in Africa: Hashtag Politics, Power and Propaganda’ explores this further. It is written by Nkem Agunwa, a digital campaigner focusing on human rights activism based in Nigeria and member of the African Digital Rights Network (ADRN), hosted by IDS.
In an unprecedented year for elections in Africa – with 17 countries heading to the polls, the fear is that digital disinformation poses a rising threat to women’s political participation.
The book references the 2016 study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union of female lawmakers globally which revealed that 41.8 per cent of participants said they have been subjected to degrading or sexual images of themselves being circulate on social media. While gendered disinformation is not new, digital technology allows for collective and coordinated anonymous targeting of people with disinformation. As a result, digital spaces across Africa are increasingly being used to manipulate the public and spread disinformation, or to harass and intimidate individuals, creating an atmosphere of fear and distrust.
Not only does gendered disinformation keep women from participating in democratic processes, but as the book details, it directly threatens the fight for gender equality and inclusivity across Africa.
Read here the full article published by the Institute of Development Studies on 10 May 2024.
Image by Skorzewiak via Shutterstock
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In recent years, the share of women in public office has surged.
*In 2000, just 65 women served in Congress. Today, the number is 151, more than a quarter of the total 535 voting members.
*Likewise at the state level, women now make up about a third of elected officials.
Yet despite these historic gains, women—who make up roughly half of the population—remain starkly underrepresented in government. And for women of color, the disparity is even greater.
No single factor created this gap, and no single change will fix it. But part of the problem is how campaigns are funded—and changing that will make a significant difference.
It’s expensive to run for office: Political ad spending in the 2024 election cycle is expected to exceed $16 billion. And the price of campaigning is a greater barrier for women, who typically have less access than men to the wealthy donors who provide most of this money.
Enter: public financing, a simple but powerful reform that uses public funds to boost small donations to candidates. It’s a policy that can help any candidate willing to engage with a broad base of voters—but some of its biggest beneficiaries are women, particularly women of color, who make up 25 percent of the country’s population but less than 10 percent of state and federal elected offices.
Read here the full article published by Ms. Magazine on 25 April 2024.
Image by Ms. Magazine
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A historic law, the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, mandates the reservation of one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for women.
In 2023, a historic law was passed to usher more women in governance. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, mandates the reservation of one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for women. But representation in leadership isn’t the only sign of gender parity in politics — active participation of the women electorate is also paramount.
So, how has India fared in both regards so far? India Today’s Data Intelligence Unit analysed the turnout data from 1962 to 2019 and candidates’ data from 1957 to 2019 and found a mostly positive trend.
TURNOUT GAP NARROWED
In 1962, men's turnout stood at 63.3 per cent, while women's turnout was notably lower at 46.6 per cent, indicating a considerable gap of 16.7 per cent. This gap fluctuated over the subsequent decades but generally narrowed. For instance, in 2014, men's turnout was 67.1 per cent, while women's turnout increased substantially to 65.6 per cent, resulting in a smaller gap of 1.5 per cent.
Read here the full article published by India Today on 13 April 2024.
Image source: India Today
A Qualitative Study on Violence against Women in Politics in Türkiye, prepared in cooperation with UN Women and Terra Development Cooperative, was introduced at an event organized in Ankara. A qualitative study, which provides important findings on the causes, occurrence, and consequences of violence against women in politics, was presented to the representatives from civil society organizations, public institutions, local governments, and political parties.
The Study on Violence against Women in Politics in Türkiye, which was started to be prepared by Prof. Dr. İknur Yüksel Kaptanoğlu, Project Coordinator of Terra Development Cooperative, together with her study team in 2022, was carried out within the scope of the project "Advancing Gender Equality and Women's Leadership in Political and Business Life” implemented by UN Women and financially supported by the Sweden through Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). In her opening speech, Swedish Ambassador to Ankara Malena Mård emphasized the importance of a political environment free from all forms of violence, especially for young people.
Click here to read the full report published by UN Women on 10 January 2024.
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