Parliaments & Representatives
Context
Digital technologies have reshaped the space for political discourse, opening new avenues for engagement, advocacy and knowledge-sharing. While these technologies have enhanced inclusion, participation and engagement of women in political processes, they also have implications on safety in the digital space for women in politics and particularly women from marginalized communities.
The rise in technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF GBV) is a case in point. Evidence highlights that TF GBV negatively impacts women in public life especially women in politics. According to a 2021 study of women in parliaments in Africa undertaken by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 46 percent of women parliamentarians had been the target of sexist attacks online.[1]
TF GBV, considered a global problem, refers to any act that is committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified by the use of information and communication technologies or other digital tools, resulting in or likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm, or other infringements of rights and freedoms.[2] TF GBV disproportionately targets women political figures, especially women from marginalized communities, leading to self-censorship by women and in extreme cases limiting their public presence in digital spaces.[3] Tools like artificial intelligence have further complicated this evolving landscape, with its vast potential to spread and reinforce harmful gender stereotypes.[4]
At the same time, digital technologies can reform social structures and bridge the gender gap by providing greater access for women to engage in political and public life. This is especially significant for young women, who often face additional barriers to entering traditional political spaces. Social media has proved to be a powerful tool for women to express their political opinions, organize grassroots movements, and mobilize voters. It has provided transformative pathways for women, particularly from marginalized communities, to access political knowledge, build networks, and engage in online campaigns, thus amplifying their voices.
It is imperative to understand that digital technologies can both promote or inhibit women’s equal participation in public life, as well as in politics. Digital technologies are embedded in existing social structures, reflecting and amplifying existing realities. For the digital space to be truly inclusive, underlying social dynamics must evolve. Consequently, inclusivity in the digital space is linked to transforming social realities through healthy gender norms that are based on equality and equity, focusing on the principle of leaving no one behind.
While transformative change is a gradual process, effective policy level changes can prompt positive reinforcement of positive social norms. Therefore, it is essential to introduce legal frameworks supplemented by effective policy level changes to encourage more women, and especially women from underrepresented groups, to have equitable access to the digital spaces where their participation is welcomed.
Please join us in e-discussing the topic of ‘Opportunities and Challenges – Women’s Political Participation in the Digital Age’ based on the following key questions:
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How can legal frameworks and policy level interventions support women’s safe and equitable access to the digital space, particularly for women in politics? Share examples from your local context.
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How can digital technologies be used to promote positive gender social norms and equality in political and public life, as well as in broader societal structures?
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How can social media platforms be leveraged to inspire more women, especially young women, to become politically engaged, pursue political careers, and connect with experienced women leaders for mentorship and support?
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How can men support and become active change makers to enable an accessible and safe digital space for women in politics?
Please join the e-Discussion from 5 November to 30 November 2024 by answering one or more of the above questions.
Women and men politicians, government representatives at all levels, civil society activists, academics, experts, practitioners and students are invited to contribute with their experiences by answering one or more of the above questions. Young women, members of the LGBTQI+ community, women with disabilities and persons with disabilities, members of indigenous communities, and members of ethnic and religious minorities are especially encouraged to respond.
We welcome innovative and creative submissions, including videos, images, and written text. Kindly ensure that any visual submission has a short text explaining the intent of the image, and this will help us keep our portal accessible for all.
You are welcome to send in your submissions to any of the following accounts:
Or send your comments directly to connect@iknowpolitics.org
[1] https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-10/Accelerating-efforts-to-tackle-online-and-technology-facilitated-violence-against-women-and-girls-en_0.pdf
[2] repository-of-un-womens-work-on-technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-en.pdf
[3] https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/faqs/tech-facilitated-gender-based-violence
[4] https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2024/05/artificial-intelligence-and-gender-equality
Background
“COVID-19 is a crisis with a woman’s face… The damage is incalculable and will resound down the decades, into future generations. Now is the time to change course. Women’s equal participation is the game-changer we need.” Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, opening remarks at CSW 65
The gender gap in politics remains the largest gender gap across sectors. In 2022, women are still marginalized and unfairly represented at all levels of government globally, making up 36% of local deliberative bodies and 26.1% of national parliaments. Only 8.3% of Heads of Government and 7.2% of Heads of State are women.[1]
Although increased women’s participation in decision-making leads to more inclusive policies and service delivery, achieving parity remains a challenge as persisting barriers hinder women’s equal access and participation in public life, including the lack of financial resources and access to networks, discriminatory laws and institutions, and gender-based violence. At the current rate of progress, the World Economic Forum estimates that gender parity in politics will not be attained before the year 2166.
Disasters and crises often exacerbate existing inequalities, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. While an estimated 80 countries and territories postponed national and local elections, at least 158 held elections despite COVID-19 related concerns and restrictions.[2] In 2020 and 2021, it is estimated that voter turnout declined in 66% of countries. Similarly, civic and democratic spaces have shrunk: 155 countries introduced limitations on the freedom of assembly, which in many cases were supplemented by additional restrictions on civil and political rights; and 60 countries targeted freedom of expression.
Many national parliaments reconfigured or reduced their activities by introducing remote and hybrid plenary sessions, committee meetings, voting, government oversight, and public engagement. While remote arrangements can break down some of the practical barriers to in-person participation for women with domestic care responsibilities and women with disabilities for instance, virtual participation can disadvantage women as it could increase their exposure to domestic violence and reinforce domestic gendered roles and expectations.
Additionally, parliaments with virtual participation may reinforce political power imbalances, favoring those physically present in meetings – more likely to be men – and reducing the visibility and impact of remote participants – more likely to be women. Similarly, restrictions on in-person political campaigning activities can widen the gap between elite and nonelite women candidates, favoring those with existing networks, resources, and name recognition.
Virtual participation and internet use are also associated with increased exposure to online abuse and violence against women in politics, which can discourage women from engaging in public debates and voicing their political opinions and aspirations publicly. Reports in 2020 show that women in politics were targeted by intense online abuse and harassment during their mandate as well as during electoral campaigns and elections.
Although there are many women leaders receiving global praise for their crisis-management performance in the past two years, women in most contexts continue to be largely left out. Women elected officials, women candidates, and women voters are particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its backsliding effects that further exacerbate inequalities and reinforce barriers.
Objective
This e-Discussion seeks to raise awareness and collect experiences, knowledge, and good practices on women’s political participation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as explore how to best mitigate the crisis’ effects on women voters, women candidates, and women elected officials to ensure women’s full and equal political participation at all levels of public decision-making processes.
Electoral management bodies, women and men in politics, political party leaders and members, civil society and women’s rights activists, practitioners, and researchers are invited to join this e-Discussion from 21 March to 11 April 2022 by answering the below questions. The submissions will contribute to the elaboration of a report that will augment the knowledge base available on the topic.
Questions
- How did COVID-19 related restrictions affect the turnout of women voters in local and national elections in your country/region? What are the best measures to ensure greater women voters’ turnout in the future?
- How did COVID-19 related restrictions affect women’s ability to run for office and get elected at the local and national levels in your country/region? What can electoral management bodies, political parties, lawmakers, and governments do to make sure women have equal access to elected positions?
- What is the gender impact of virtual parliamentary work and participation? Have remote parliamentary arrangements affected your parliament’s gender-sensitivity and diversity?
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Has violence against women in politics, including online harassment and abuse, increased in the last two years in your country/region? If so, please provide details and concrete suggestions to make politics a safe space for women.
To contribute
- Use the comments section below; or
- Send your contribution to connect@iknowpolitics.org so that we can post it on your behalf.
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Notes:
[1] Average as of 1 March 2022 based on UN Women calculations.
[2] Data valid as of 1 February 2022.
Background
More than 40 years after the entry into force of CEDAW and 26 years after the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, progress around women’s full and equal political participation has stalled and gender balance remains a long way off. Women only make up 25% of all national parliamentarians, 36% of local government members, and 21% of ministers.[1] Only 23 countries are headed by a woman Head of State or Government, and States have yet to have a woman leader.[2]
While some countries have made progress towards gender balance in politics, the vast majority are lagging behind. In 114 countries, between 10% and 29.9% of parliamentarians are women, and in 25 countries, women make up less than 10% of parliamentarians. Women account for less than 30% of ministers in 130 countries, 12 of which have no women's representation at all.[3] Gaps in politics persist because of structural barriers and challenges that reinforce discriminatory beliefs, norms, practices, and policies.
In this year’s Agreed Conclusions of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 65), States agreed to a raise the bar to 50/50 gender balance in all elected positions by taking all necessary measures to break barriers and accelerate progress, including: set specific targets and timelines to achieve gender balance in all branches of government and at all levels through temporary special measures such as quotas and appointments; encourage political parties to nominate equal numbers of women and men as candidates; eliminate, prevent and respond to all forms of violence against women and girls; and develop, fund and implement policies and programmes promoting women’s leadership.
At the current rate of progress, gender parity will not be reached in national legislatures before 2063, and among Heads of Government before 2150.[4] The world cannot afford to wait any longer to achieve equal representation for women. With 50/50 gender balance in politics as a global goal, fast tracked actions are needed to close the gender gap in politics once and for all.
Objective
Following the CSW 65’s outcome, this e-Discussion seeks to raise awareness about the slow progress towards achieving full and equal participation of women in politics and to gather experiences and recommendations on how to best accelerate progress and close the gender gap in politics. Women and men in politics, civil society activists, practitioners and researchers are invited to join this e-Discussion from 11 May to 1 June 2021 by answering the below questions. The submissions will contribute to the elaboration of a report that will augment the knowledge base available on the topic.
Questions
- What are the levers of success in countries with high representation of women in politics?
- More than half of countries have no temporary special measures, several of which have less than 10% of women in parliament. What can be done to ensure gender balance in politics is achieved in such countries? What role can political parties play?
- Women are under-represented in all spheres of public life, including in public administration and the judiciary. What measures do you propose to ensure women have equal representation in all public life sectors?
To contribute
- Use the below comment section below.
- Send your contribution to connect@iknowpolitics.org so that we can post it on your behalf.
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[1] Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls: report of the Secretary-General: https://undocs.org/E/CN.6/2021/3
[2] Based on calculations by UN Women, as of 1 April 2021.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls: report of the Secretary-General: https://undocs.org/E/CN.6/2021/3
Background
The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the most important treaty on women’s human rights. Adopted in December 1979 and ratified by 189 States, it is a leading tool in eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality, both in the law and in practice. The implementation of CEDAW is critical to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 5 on gender equality and Goal 16 on peace, justice and inclusive institutions.
State parties to CEDAW are legally obliged to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, including in politics, to guarantee women can exercise their human rights in the same way as men, and to regularly report to the CEDAW Committee on their progress towards achieving these goals.
No country in the world has fully achieved gender equality, and none “are fully transforming laws, policies, or public budget decisions on the scale needed to reach gender equality by 2030.”[1] Discriminatory laws are still widespread, affecting more than 2.5 billion women and girls across the world. It is estimated that women enjoy only 75% of the legal rights of men.[2]
When laws guaranteeing equality are adopted, their implementation is often hampered by persisting gender stereotypes, discriminatory social norms and the economic exclusion of women. CEDAW mandates that States guarantee substantive equality between men and women – not only equality in the law or equality of opportunities, but also equality of outcomes, bearing in mind the diverse experiences and backgrounds of women.
Although progress has been achieved in the past few decades, legislative and public decision-making processes continue to be largely dominated by men. The latest data reveals that women make up only 24.3% of all world parliamentarians and 20.7% of all government ministers. While this represents an all-time high for women in politics, it shows women’s voices are still vastly absent from political decision-making.
Most recently, the CEDAW Committee has taken a strong stance on women’s political participation through a joint statement with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, titled “Women’s political leadership: Striving for balance: 50/50 by 2030”.[3] Moving away from the idea that minimal targets should be set, the Committee affirmed that gender parity in decision-making should be the norm, as a prerequisite for democracy, sustainable development and lasting peace.
The CEDAW Committee has a unique approach to the role of parliaments in bringing about equality between men and women through laws, policies and budgets, and calls them to be involved throughout the CEDAW review process – namely the drafting of state reports, the dialogue with the Committee based on the report, and the implementation of the Committee’s ensuing recommendations.[4]
Objective
The 40th anniversary of CEDAW’s adoption is a unique opportunity to draw attention to the role the Convention has played in repealing and amending laws that discriminate against women and in advancing gender equality, as well as identify solutions to accelerate positive change for women and girls everywhere. iKNOW Politics and its partners are convening this e-Discussion to facilitate an online exchange of knowledge and experiences based on the guiding questions below. Civil society representatives, women and men in local and national politics, experts, practitioners, and researchers are invited to contribute from 2 to 23 December 2019. The submissions will contribute to the elaboration of a Consolidated Reply that will be published here.
Questions
- Parliaments are key institutions in achieving gender equality in society. Can you share examples of how CEDAW was successful in pushing parliaments in repealing and/or amending laws that discriminate against women and girls?
- CEDAW calls State parties to eliminate discrimination against women in politics and public life and to ensure women can fully and equally vote and vie for elections and hold political office at all levels of government. Can you share examples of how CEDAW was used in establishing laws and practices to promote women’s political participation?
- Progress towards ending all discrimination against women and girls has been slow. Please share innovative methods you know of that have proved to be successful in facilitating and accelerating the Convention’s implementation, or solutions you believe would be successful.
To contribute
- Use the below comment section below.
- Send your contribution to connect@iknowpolitics.org so that we can post it on your behalf.
[1] Harnessing the Power of Data for Gender Equality: Introducing the 2019 EM2030 SDG Gender Index, p.48. equalmeasures2030.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/EM2030_2019_Global_Report_English_WEB.pdf (accessed on 27 September 2019)
[2] Remarks by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, at the G7 ministerial meeting on gender equality and women’s empowerment in Paris, France, 10 May 2019: unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2019/5/speech-ed-phumzile-g7-ministerial-meeting (accessed on 27 September 2019)
[3] Joint statement issued on the occasion of International Women’s Day and the 40th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Geneva, Switzerland, 8 March 2019: https://ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24279&LangID=E (accessed on 8 October 2019).
[4] Statement on the relationship of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women with parliamentarians, adopted by the CEDAW Committee at its 45th session (January—February 2010): https://ohchr.org/documents/HRBodies/CEDAW/Statements/Parliamentarians.pdf (accessed on 8 October 2019).
For more than one year, the groundbreaking #MeToo movement and related Time’s Up initiative have broken taboos and sparked an unprecedented global conversation about the sexism, harassment and violence many women face in professional environments.
Women politicians have also been saying #MeToo in politics. With women comprising just 5.2 per cent of Heads of Government, 6.6 per cent of Heads of State,[1] and 24 per cent of parliamentarians[2] globally, politics is overwhelmingly male-dominated. But as in workplaces in other sectors, women are increasingly present in parliaments and elected assemblies, government bodies and political parties. As women continue to defy gender norms that have traditionally kept them out of politics, they encounter hostility and violence in these institutions.[3]
Violence against women in politics can be physical, sexual or psychological in nature. Both men and women can be affected by violence in politics, but violence against women in politics is gender-based. It targets women because of their gender and the acts of violence are gendered in form, such as sexist remarks or sexual harassment and violence. Violence against women in politics is a violation of human rights, and by hindering women’s political participation, it is also a violation of women’s political rights.[4]
An Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) global study published in 2016, and a 2018 study focused on European countries, found that violence against women in politics is widespread. Both studies revealed that more than 80 per cent of surveyed women Members of Parliament (MPs) had experienced acts of psychological violence, which included, inter alia, threats of death, rape, beatings or abduction during their parliamentary terms. The studies also revealed that acts of psychological violence against women MPs are especially profuse online and on social media. Sexist and misogynistic remarks, humiliating images, mobbing, intimidation and threats against women in public life or women who express political opinions publicly have become commonplace. Young women MPs and those women active in the fight against gender inequality and violence against women were often singled out for attack.
The studies also showed that a quarter of the women parliamentarians interviewed were the target of sexual harassment perpetrated by male parliamentarian colleagues, both from their own political party and from parties opposed to their own.
Objective of the e-Discussion
The global fight to promote women’s equal participation in decision-making and to end all forms of violence against women is receiving unprecedented attention as more women in politics speak out through the #MeToo movement. Likewise, the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals have put a global spotlight on the commitments of all countries to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls (SDG Target 5.2) and ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life (SDG Target 5.5). iKNOW Politics and its partners will launch this e-Discussion alongside the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Contributions in Arabic, English, French and Spanish are welcome from 26 November to 21 December 2018. The e-Discussion seeks to raise awareness on the issue of gender-based violence against women in politics and expand the dialogue on how to make political spaces safer and more inclusive for women.
Questions
- What is causing violence against women in politics to occur so widely across the world?
- IPU reports that about half of the women MPs subjected to acts of violence do not report them to the parliamentary security service and/or the police. Reporting rates for acts of sexual harassment are even much lower. Why do you think that is? What needs to change to ensure all incidents are reported?
- Social media is a top place in which psychological violence (e.g. sexist and misogynistic remarks, humiliating images, mobbing, intimidation and threats) is perpetrated against women in politics. How do you explain this? How can we make sure social media is a safe space for them?
- Violence against women in politics makes the work of women politicians difficult and potentially dangerous and therefore unattractive as a career option. What message would you give to women who are discouraged from engaging in political life because of the fear or threat of violence?
- Use the below comment section below.
- Send your contribution to connect@iknowpolitics.org so that we can post it on your behalf.
Notes
[1] Situation as of 1 November 2018. Data compiled by UN Women based on information provided by Permanent Missions to the United Nations.
[2] Situation as of 1 October 2018. Women in National Parliaments World Average, IPU: archive.ipu.org/wmn-e/world.htm (accessed on 6 November 2018).
[3] IPU, “Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Europe”, Issues Brief. October 2018.
[4] United Nations, “Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences on violence against women in politics”, para 11. August 2018. See also UN Women, “Violence against women in politics: Expert Group Meeting report and recommendations”, 2018, and NDI, Not The Cost: Stopping Violence Against Women in Politics, 2016.
The under-representation of women at any level of governance and decision-making results in a democratic deficit. It has been proven time and again that diverse groups make better decisions. This is particularly true when it comes to a task as challenging as representing the interests of citizens at the local level. Often influencing policies in housing, security, transport, and the economy, local government makes important decisions that affect the lives of women and men. Women’s equal participation and representation in local decision-making processes is critical for prioritizing women’s practical needs and issues in local governments’ agendas and for localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gender-balanced local councils may be an important step in helping to attain gender balance at the national levels.
Although some countries have information on how many women and men are local councilors and mayors, a standardized system to provide comparable statistical evidence across all countries and regions has been missing until recently. Some reasons for this are the vast number of local governments and the diversity of their structures worldwide. The methodology of the new SDGs indicator on the ‘proportion of seats held by women in local governments’ (5.5.1b) developed by UN Women provides a model on how to generate comparable data across countries. The harmonized measurement and reporting of data for the SDG indicator 5.5.1b will enable to build the first global measurement of the proportion of women in local governments. This will generate strong statistical evidence that will help to raise awareness and accelerate progress on a range of aspects of women’s political participation.
In addition to measuring numbers, further information is needed on strategies to elect more women at the local level. With the focus of the 2018 CSW revolving around achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls, iKNOW Politics and its partners are convening this e-Discussion from February 2 to March 8, 2018 to seek input from politicians, experts, practitioners, and researchers on the challenges and opportunities for women’s representation in local government and its role in helping achieve gender equality and empower women at the local level.
Questions:
- What are the challenges that hinder women’s political participation and representation at the local governance and decision-making level? Are they any different from the challenges women face at the national level?
- What are the good practices that help advance women’s political participation and representation at the local level? What is the role of political parties in supporting women’s engagement in local politics?
- Do you know of any programmes or structures that support women elected at the local level to become leaders at the national level? Please share examples.
- What can local government do to achieve gender equality and empower rural women and girls?
To contribute:
- Use the below comment section; or
- Send your contribution to connect@iknowpolitics.org so that we can post it on your behalf.
Kia ora, my name is Kahurangi Carter. I am a Green Party MP from New Zealand, Aotearoa, right at the bottom of the South Pacific.
What changes are necessary to increase women’s presence in parliament?
In New Zealand, we have almost a 50% women in Parliament, and that is not by accident.
There have been incredible women who have come before us, who have fought hard for this.
In New Zealand, we were the first country to give women the vote. And we also have had three prime ministers who are women. So when you see women in these positions, it means that young women see themselves in politics. For me, as an indigenous New Zealander. It was really important to have mentors and people who believed in me and who encouraged me to get into politics. They believed in me before I believed that I could do it myself and it is so important that we have these women encouraging us and also men encouraging us and people who sit outside the binary. So, it's important to me that we have diversity, that we have indigenous, POC, disabled and rainbow representation in our parliaments so that we can make laws that make our world a fairer and just place.
What are the main barriers preventing women from participating in politics?
There are lots of barriers that women face to going into politics. Some of the social norms that may prevent women going into politics. For example, I'm a mother and I wondered how could I do this being away from my children so much and what the effect would have on them even though they have a very involved father. He's a wonderful support. Still, as a woman and as a mother, I wondered how I would be able to do this. And that is a social norm that many women who might go into politics will be thinking about their children and how going into the public eye will affect them, whether our children will be safe, whether they will be scrutinised more, and whether it will affect their childhood because we just want them to have a wonderful childhood and for us to facilitate that, because that's what children deserve.
What support do women need to start and sustain a political career?
There are some key things that we need to focus on. Safety, physical and online safety. Psychological warfare is real. People coming for you and your family is unfortunately, the reality of the world that we live in. So training and support around that, financing, making sure that women actually have money for campaigning, and also equity. So if you are a parent, if you are a mother, that you actually have greater consideration for leave when your children are sick, when your children need you, and an understanding that your whole party and Parliament has that is something that is needed for women to be represented in Parliament.
What would you say to inspire more women to get involved in politics?
My message to women, especially diverse and young women around the world, is you can do it.
You can be a politician. We need your voice. Sometimes men don't even have to be told that they would be a good politician for them to put their name forward, whereas women have to be told over and over again before they believe it themselves, I believe in you and you can do it.
Presently the Speaker of the National Assembly in Mauritius. But I have been a Member of Parliament from 1976 to 1990. And then I quit politics and I was also an ambassador. I've done quite a few things. But I'm A feminist, that's the most important. I'm a feminist of the 1970s. when we were just starting to talk about women's rights. When we had the first women's conference in Mexico, I had just finished my studies. I'm a lawyer by training. And it was like I fell in it. And then we were everywhere. We went around the world talking to women, trying to understand why so few women are in leading positions, both in the public sector and in the private sector. So now we've made a lot of progress in many countries, but there's still quite a lot to do.
What are the main barriers preventing women from diverse backgrounds from participating in politics?
I think women are normally seen as mothers. Not all women want to be mothers, but we are, many of us. We choose to be mothers. And we are not only just looking after our children, but we look after old people. Women are seen to be caregivers, generally speaking. And we're not seen as people who can actually play a very important position, whether as a parliamentarian or as a minister or as a speaker. You see, so it takes a lot of time to break all these, all these stereotypes about women being made for such and such a thing or men being made for such and such a thing. I was very lucky because my husband looked after the kids while I was, you know, running around in my constituency. But most men don't want to do that. They cannot do that.
So in the olden days, we used to leave the kids with the grandmothers. But now grandmothers are also working. So where do you leave the kids? So basically society is not organized in such a way as you will be able to, for example, go to work and in your workplace have a place where you can put the baby, which is not so difficult, but we keep talking about it and it's still not quite the norm.
So how can we expect most women to come into politics? Because it is the same age, when we're going to have children, that in fact we're starting a new career perhaps, and at the same time we're going to start a political career. It's very difficult. So there must be a bit, like I do, role model, and we tell them, you know. We don't need to be extra special to be a member of Parliament.
What changes are necessary to increase women’s presence in parliament?
You have to be close to the people. And who better than a woman is close to the people? So we have to tell them what are their qualities, what are maybe some of the difficulties they will face, try and reassure them and train them. But we also must train the men. Because in order to get the women in Parliament, we must ask the men to give some space. And also, perhaps, get them to, we're trying, right now I'm going to try and get them to do something for the women who have children. Because if they have, because you sit long hours, sometimes we do night sittings. So women are not quite convinced. You know, they're not sure that is really what they want to do.
Why does diversity in parliament matter?
Yeah, we should talk of diversity, both in terms of gender, but also within the gender itself, have women from all walks of life, have men from all walks of life, and different, being, in different professions, having different specialties, because basically if you're a democrat, you want to have a parliament which is balanced.
If it's not balanced, you can't have a good parliament.
What would you say to inspire more women to get involved in politics?
I think women should believe in themselves. We need self-confidence.
Self-confidence is the really key word for a woman to get somewhere in any profession and of course in public life.
What are the main barriers preventing women from diverse backgrounds from participating in politics?
Diverse women, women with different intersections like me, for example, religion, race or ethnicity, if you want to call it, sexual orientation, disability, face a number of barriers. There are more than triple barriers when it comes to social norms, when it comes to financial barriers.
I'll start with the financial barriers because women who have different social backgrounds or women who have all these intersections usually do not have easy access to finances. So this really hinders their participation in social life, but especially their participation in political life.
Another barrier is women with migrant background, or women who are not originally born in the country that they are being a candidate, political candidate for, sometimes do not have any knowledge of the political system. So mentoring or some form of education that helps them have a crash course in what the political system is and how to navigate this would really help. Another social barrier or another barrier to women participating in politics in countries where they were not originally from is when they have to deal with social norms.
Because women who come from countries that are different from where, who participate in politics, in countries that are different from where they were born, usually have to tackle, if they're from the Global South and they're in the Global North, they have to tackle what we call stereotypes. And these stereotypes vary because, especially, for example, as a black woman, we have the stereotype of the angry black woman.
When I'm passionate about something as a black woman, I tend to speak with my hands.
And this can be misinterpreted, especially in the global north, where people tend to have a different way of speaking because of the cultural differences, as I am now showing the angry black woman stereotype. Then we have the stereotype of the hypersexual Jezebel.
Now, because of the cultural differences, Global North and Global South, Global South women people sometimes tend to show more temperament, but also love a lot of color.
Now, this can also be interpreted and the wearing of color and the way they dress, their sense of style can be interpreted as, it's actually hyper-sexualized, so it can be interpreted as being more sexual than is necessary in the political arena.
This hinders them a lot because when you're speaking to people and they're concentrating more on how they can try and teach you not to wear more color, how they can try and teach you to dress down. They portray this in answering what you're trying to politically tell them, and this can be a really big barrier also to political participation, because they do not take people from the Global South, women from the Global South, them seriously.
What changes are necessary to increase women’s presence in parliament?
Now, women in Parliament should actually try and work together in such cases, because what women with different intersectionalities go through. Also, women without the intersectionalities go through, maybe only in a lesser degree.
Now, if women come together and decide to change the narrative, rewrite the narrative by educating their male counterparts on what hypersexualization of women who have all these intersections is and that they shouldn't do this, or what it means to not be taken seriously because you look different, what it means not to have financial access, what it means not to have the knowledge of the political system, if we can come together and have a sort of schooling system, a sort of not just mentoring, but co-leadership, women to women, and let's work together in educating our male counterparts and the general public about this, could really work. We cannot do this without the male NPs, because really, they're the ones who know half of the time what they are thinking and how they are reacting to who they see in front of them.
Now, if we could get more allies to help us teach each other what it means to be female in the LGBTQIA+ group, what it means to be female with a migrant background, with a different religion, with a different ethnicity. This would really help because sometimes as somebody who comes from this marginalized group, it is harder for you to voice it. But when a male counterpart voices it, let's say a male counterpart from the LGBTQIA plus group voices what it feels like to be marginalized as a female because they could a little bit relate to that, it helps us more. Sometimes it's the allies who can voice what we are going through better to the other male and to the rest of the community. And this comes out much stronger.
Why does diversity in parliament matter?
In different cases, we have female MPs who are actually elected, so they do get the seat at the table, but they do not get the power, meaning they don't have the resources. If we could try and think about more intersectional inclusive frameworks that include not just the seat at the table, but the power. We are being voted in, but learning the process, and we have different intergenerational and intercultural mentorship this could really work.
What would you say to inspire more women to get involved in politics?
I would really, really encourage other women, other intersectional women to join politics because we do need the diversity. It does not help us when there are not enough women who are disabled, who are in the LGBTQIA plus group, who are racialized, who are not in parliament in politics, it helps us to have the diversity, then we have a stronger voice. It is difficult in the beginning, but with the help of the other women, with the solidarity, we can really do this. We should give more visibility to these women so that those who are there do not feel so much alone.
I always say, I may have come in as one, but I will not be the last one.
Sonia Palmieri is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Pacific Affairs in the College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University. Her research examines the social and cultural factors influencing women’s leadership in political institutions, including gender-sensitive parliaments. Sonia Palmieri joined a two-day Expert Group Meeting organized by UN Women to address one of the most persistent barriers to gender equality in political and public life: discriminatory social norms. The event held on 4-5 February 2025 brought together feminist scholars, policymakers, activists, and practitioners to chart a path forward for transforming social norms and ensuring women’s full and effective political participation. This experts’ meeting was organized under the WYDE | Women’s Leadership, funded by the European Union, which is a collaborative global effort aimed at advancing women’s full and effective political participation and decision-making at all levels, especially those most often left furthest behind.
Can you explain what gender sensitive parliaments are and how they contribute to the political empowerment of women?
Gender-sensitive parliaments have become a new norm, a standard for what a good parliament should be. At its heart, it is a parliament that recognizes its responsibility to advance gender equality. In theory, this might sound simple. In practice, however, a gender-sensitive parliament must actively reorient and transform how it functions – legislates, represents, conducts oversight - and communicates, in a way that consistently prioritizes gender equality. This is challenging because politicians come from diverse backgrounds with varying perspectives, and not everyone enters Parliament with the goal of advancing gender equality.
How can parliaments make gender equality a concrete and central aspect of their institution?
First, parliaments seeking to become gender-sensitive make a public commitment to gender equality.
They can do this by developing strategic or corporate plan, or even a national strategy to embed gender sensitivity in their work.
However, becoming gender sensitive also requires practical transformation in parliamentary operations. For example, oversight bodies are necessary to ensure that parliament follows through on its gender equality commitments. A good example comes from Sweden, where a Speaker’s Reference Group [LP1] was established to continuously assess and evaluate Parliament’s strategic plans on gender equality. They explore how the parliament operates, review its outputs, and identify areas for improvement.
In summary, for a parliament to become gender-sensitive, it needs a clear commitment to gender equality, and transformation of working methods, including an accountability mechanism with monitoring and evaluation.
Pervading gender norms are one of the most enduring and difficult constraints women face in politics, including in parliaments. Could you tell us how these work?
Sadly, even after being elected, women still face social norms that cast them as different or less ideal representatives. They are often perceived as lacking the right skills or connections, which fuels critiques of their presence in political spaces. This belief translates into marginalization from decision-making—they may struggle to secure executive roles, chair committees, or serve as presiding officers.
Women are also delegitimized when they speak in the Chamber. It’s not uncommon for them to be interrupted, overpowered by noise in the chamber, or met with verbal objections and hostility, all tactics to undermine their authority. Even when elected, they are repeatedly made to feel that they are not the "ideal" political actor.
How can we challenge this?
We must resist in multiple ways and having allies is essential. Women need a support network of like-minded politicians to help navigate these challenges. Facing delegitimization alone can be disheartening and may even push women to leave politics altogether.
Of course, finding allies across political parties isn’t always easy, as party competition can sometimes prevent solidarity. However, women in parliament can unite against sexist or misogynistic behavior, creating a sense of collective resistance. It is also crucial for men to recognize and reject these behaviors. Parliaments need clear Codes of Conduct and enforceable rules to ensure a respectful environment for all. Unfortunately, enforcement is where politics often overrides the basic level of decency that should underpin any legislative body.
What advice would you give to women parliamentarians?
When entering public institutions, no matter in which part of the world you sit, find your friends and allies both inside and outside the parliament, because you are going to need a support network! Make sure to identify your own personal coping mechanisms that will keep you and your mental health in check while identifying reliable sources of gender-sensitive advice and information to help you do your job effectively.
Emma Muteka is currently the youngest Regional Councillor in Namibia and a member of Parliament. She serves as the Vice Chairperson of the Parliamentary standing committee on Health, Social welfare and Labour affairs. She joined a two-day Expert Group Meeting organized by UN Women to address one of the most persistent barriers to gender equality in political and public life: discriminatory social norms. The event held on 4-5 February 2025 brought together feminist scholars, policymakers, activists, and practitioners to chart a path forward for transforming social norms and ensuring women’s full and effective political participation. This experts’ meeting was organized under the WYDE | Women’s Leadership, funded by the European Union, which is a collaborative global effort aimed at advancing women’s full and effective political participation and decision-making at all levels, especially those most often left furthest behind.
“I am a Member of Parliament from Namibia and have been engaged in politics since the age of 13. My early involvement in advocacy helped me realize how politics shapes daily life, from the price of bread to basic survival. What truly drove me was the desire to be the voice of the voiceless, as I felt that my generation lacked the space to be heard. In 2020, I made the decision to fully commit to politics and ran for office. It was not an easy journey. One major challenge was bridging the gap between young and older generations. I took time to humble myself, study the situation, and realized I needed to embrace intergenerational leadership, as senior politicians carried memories and trust from society. Senior politicians also needed assurance that young leaders were prepared to lead, so I engaged to ensure they were also mentoring us and creating an environment for this transition.
Another challenge was personal identity - my age, gender, and marital status were scrutinized. People doubted whether I could lead simply because I was unmarried and without children. To navigate these biases, I focused on building trust while staying true to myself. I studied my environment and engaged in one-on-one conversations with senior politicians, recognizing that personal discussions were more effective in earning their trust. I also consulted extensively with young people, who sometimes questioned my capabilities based on personal perceptions rather than competence. My goal now is to inspire youth, especially young women, to step into politics.
In terms of advice to young politicians, especially young women: first and foremost, believe in yourself. Have confidence and self-esteem but remain humble. Make sure you know your constituency and the cause you wish to champion, while remembering that it is all about serving others.
I especially encourage young women to empower themselves through education. Learning never goes out of style. Take every opportunity to educate yourself, whether through formal studies or short courses. Don’t limit yourself to political knowledge; understand economics, global affairs, and other areas that impact governance.
We have long debated women’s participation in politics, it is time for implementation. Policies and laws must be enforced to support women in leadership. Talking is not enough; now, we must walk the talk.”
Elise Pereira Nunes is the Deputy Mayor of Tours (France) for gender equality, international relations and city networks. An academic expert in gender issues, Elise has been a long-time activist in several movements for women and LGBTQI+ rights and regularly contributes to seminars. Her political commitment stems from her desire to be a voice at the intersection of the worlds of academic research, citizen mobilization and political action. As a deputy mayor, she demonstrates that exchanges between local authorities, locally and internationally, are vectors of progress on environmental, economic and societal issues. Internationally, she advocates for the recognition of local governments within the multilateral system and champions the political participation and empowerment of women. Elise joined a two-day Expert Group Meeting organized by UN Women to address one of the most persistent barriers to gender equality in political and public life: discriminatory social norms. This experts’ meeting was organized under the WYDE | Women’s Leadership, funded by the European Union, which is a collaborative global effort aimed at advancing women’s full and effective political participation and decision-making at all levels, especially those most often left furthest behind.
“In my role as Deputy Mayor, my focus is on making gender equality a core part of our city’s policies. Our goal is to create a city where everyone, regardless of gender, origin, age, or ability, can thrive. I also connect gender equality with international affairs, building partnerships with sister cities across Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Spain. Change must happen both locally and globally—if the world around us struggles, we will be affected too.
Of course, working in politics comes with challenges. Bureaucracy, budget constraints, and slow progress can be frustrating. But meaningful change requires both short-term action and long-term vision. Some policies take immediate effect, while others take years to show results. What matters is planting seeds for a better future. I take pride in pushing these issues forward and making gender equality a cross-cutting priority in city governance.
One challenge I faced was entering politics without ties to any political party or organization. I had to learn how political structures operate while ensuring my voice was heard as someone from civil society. Even if you don’t belong to a party, it’s essential to make politicians understand that they need engaged citizens, just as much as citizens need politicians to represent them. Citizens shape the projects that affect their communities, while political parties provide the platform and resources to implement them. It’s a partnership that can drive real change.
Another challenge is overcoming stereotypes about women in politics. Despite gender parity laws, I often hear claims that it’s "hard to find women willing to engage" or that their "quality" is questionable, implying that all male candidates are automatically competent. I wanted to prove that being a woman from civil society is not a limitation.
I also firmly believe in feminist municipalism. If we want more women in politics, we must demonstrate that it’s possible, including at local level. Too often, those who want to get involved hesitate because they feel they lack legitimacy, whereas their diverse perspectives are essential. Diverse voices—across social, economic, ethnic, racial, gender or disability backgrounds—enrich decision-making.
Local politics is crucial because it’s where real engagement with citizens happens, it’s where we can understand and respond to people’s needs. We may not be able to solve every problem, but we can do our best to make an impact with the power we have. Women have a major role to play in shaping the future. If there isn’t enough space for us, we will make space, because our voice is needed.”
Interview published by Capacity4Dev (European Union) on 14 May 2025.
The deliberate spread of harmful and false content aimed at women is a current threat to their safety, job performance, mental health, as well as to the institutions they represent, weakening not only women’s active life in the public but also the democratic system.
Our research indicates that there is a need for codes of conduct in various areas of government: considering the multiple elections happening in the Latin America Region, a window of opportunity has been identified to develop and implement mechanisms to safeguard women in Parliament.
The implementation of Codes of Conduct in Parliaments creates a better decision-making process, significantly reducing possible aggressions between peers. In politics the existence of a code of conduct can place the issue of online gender violence on the agenda, making visible and enabling effective action against.
This research focuses on the experience of Latin American countries to outline recommendations for possible actions and best practices to help prevent digital political violence against women in Parliaments. A comprehensive desk review was carried out on countries with existing legislation in the Region reviewing the existence of protocols, legislative work, draft bills and bills, and analyzing current European Codes of Conducts to compare. Understanding and addressing this phenomenon is essential to ensuring gender equality in politics and promoting a violence-free parliamentary environment for all individuals.
In addition, the methodology implemented reveals significant barriers to recognizing political aggressions as a form of violence, despite the prevalent use of the term "violence" in the outcome of the research. This underscores the urgent need for a clear typification of online gender-based violence against women parliamentarians. Additionally, there is notable skepticism regarding the effectiveness of existing codes and regulations in safeguarding women from such violence. Our analysis shows diverse narratives explaining the roots of political violence and discrimination against women in public life. Emphasizing the connection between these findings is imperative to address these gaps through the development of robust codes.
Read here the full report published by Fundación Multitudes on August 2024.
This online resource will guide you in implementing the OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Public Life. In addition to better familiarising you with the Principles, the Toolkit lets you compare indicators and good practices in use in numerous countries. The self-assessment tools will help governments assess the strengths and weaknesses of their gender policies, which in turn, will help policy makers set priorities for improvement.
Source: OECD
This action kit is a practical tool for unpacking gender responsive budgeting (GRB) and engaging parliaments and parliamentarians in strengthening scrutiny and oversight of gender responsive budget formulation, execution, and evaluation. As a result of their interventions, the budget process can be more participatory, inclusive, and effective.
This publication is directed primarily to actors who want to build an effective system for integrating GRB into the annual state budget process. This includes Members of Parliament (MPs), parliamentary staff and committees, caucuses of women MPs, as well as other actors, including UN Women or other United Nations entities who may want to initiate and support a stronger role for parliament and MPs in GRB.
The action kit is divided into sections:
- Building government systems to support GRB through the budget cycle;
- Parliament’s role in engaging with GRB in the budget process; and
- Programmatic interventions to support parliaments in the GRB process.
To ensure the guidance and information provided in the publication are grounded in practice, country examples of GRB implementation and entry points for parliamentary engagement are included.
Click here to access the publication.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) today published a “Participatory Gender Audits of Parliaments, a Step-by-Step Guidance Document,” which offers comprehensive tools and detailed steps on how parliaments can fully capitalize on their potential to implement a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach to legislative processes.
The PA and ODIHR collaborated on the publication, which sets out how to implement participatory gender audits through a clear framework and step-by-step process. The Guide recognizes that each parliament is unique and will undertake the audit in unique circumstances and it allows parliaments to choose the scope of the audit, the format and the timescale within which it will be conducted. As such, it adds to the extensive OSCE acquis in support of all parliaments of the region and it is in line with institutions’ respective mandates to advocate for ensuring transparency and accountability of all parliamentary procedures, practices, and standards, including those aimed at gender mainstreaming and conducting gender audits or assessments.
The “Participatory Gender Audits of Parliaments, a Step-by-Step Guidance Document” complements the “Realizing Gender Equality in Parliament: A Guide for Parliaments in the OSCE Region,” published in December 2021, which brought together lessons learned and good practices from 46 national parliaments in North America, Europe and Central Asia on introducing and improving gender sensitivity in parliaments, on which the two Institutions have also closely co-operated.
Click here to access the report.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Gender Sensitising Parliamentary Guidelines: A Seven-Step Field Guide (‘Field Guide’) provides a blueprint for Commonwealth parliaments interested in undertaking a Gender Sensitive Parliament (GSP) review of their institutions with the objective of making their parliaments more representative and inclusive. The Field Guide builds on earlier Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and Commonwealth Women Parliamentarian’s (CWP) gender sensitising reports, in which a GSP is defined as a place that responds to the needs and interests of women in its structures, operations, methods, and work and is a workplace that removes barriers to women’s full participation.
GSP reviews have the potential to respond to the needs of parliamentary members and staff who identify as women or as belonging to another marginalised group, and in some Commonwealth contexts, this includes people with intersecting identities, such as Indigenous People, Black People, and People of Colour, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ People (LGBTQ+), and people living with disabilities.
Click here to access the guide.
This course, written by Dr Sonia Palmieri, explores why and how to build gender sensitive parliaments. Rich in case studies, it sketches the international framework for action and outlines opportunities for shaping contextually-appropriate parliamentary processes and norms.
Click here to access the course.
Parliaments have a key role in ensuring not only that everyone is properly represented in decision-making, but also that legislation and government actions take account of the needs and experiences of women and men on an equal basis. However, the achievement of gender equality requires more than commitments and good intentions. It is reliant on action.
This Guide is designed to help parliamentarians, officials, civil society and democracy-support organizations undertake gender-sensitive scrutiny. It provides a model for gender-sensitive scrutiny and demonstrates how the techniques can be used when carrying out pre- and post-legislative scrutiny, conducting oversight and monitoring budgets. It also provides case studies and resources.
Click here to access the guide.
This guide is designed to help Members and staff of the Parliament of Malaysia undertake gender-sensitive scrutiny of laws, budgets, and policies.
Click here to download the guide published by INTER PARES.
This guide is designed to help Members and staff of the Parliament of Bhutan undertake gender-sensitive scrutiny of laws, budgets, and policies.
Click here to download the guide published by INTER PARES.
This practical guide is intended to support the full range of parliamentary actors — from parliamentary leadership teams, members of parliament, and political and parliamentary staff, to parliamentary practitioners and civil society organizations dealing with gender equality issues — in transforming these institutions into gender-sensitive parliaments.
Click here to access the guide.