Women's Leadership

Jennifer M. Piscopo is a Professor of Gender and Politics and Director of the Gender Institute at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her research examines gender, elections, and democracy, with a focus on women’s political participation in Latin America and the United States. Jennifer Piscopo joined a two-day Expert Group Meeting (EGM) 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.

1. What sparked your passion for studying women's representation and gender in elections?

I'm American, and when I was growing up, there were very few women in U.S. politics. Unfortunately, that’s still the case today—there are very few women in key political leadership roles.

But in some countries, that wasn’t the case. They elected more women to office and even as heads of state and government, which is what led me to comparative political science. I wanted to be able to compare and understand why some countries break barriers to women’s political participation more successfully than others.

2. What are the key barriers to women’s political participation?

There are many barriers. One common narrative is that women doubt their own abilities and capacities to run for office – which is perhaps true in some cases. So many development programs and organizations have therefore focused on boosting women’s confidence and encouraging them to see themselves as political actors. But actually, self-doubt isn’t the biggest barrier! If this were the case, we wouldn’t see such stark differences across countries in electing women. One of the real, more significant obstacles is political parties. Political parties have historically been male-dominated, which means men control who gets nominated, what resources are provided for campaigns and how elected officials maintain power. Women often find themselves blocked from these institutions that have been historically dominated by men. Even when women meet the required qualifications, the bar shifts. First, they’re told they lack the right education, so they get degrees in law or business. However then, they’re told they lack political experience. So the goalposts keep moving for women, which is the reason we focus so much on the preparing women as political leaders. But this emphasis on preparing women means we actually miss out on policy interventions which should focus on the barriers. We need to target political parties or party leaders to change their attitudes and beliefs, and redefine what qualifications matter. The real issue isn’t women "fixing themselves"—it’s fixing the institutions that gatekeep political opportunities.

3. How do gender quotas help?

Gender quotas are a great example of policies that cut through or bypass cultural and individual beliefs that society may have about women political leaders. Quotas can challenge both cultural biases and party structures, since they require parties to nominate women, forcing the parties to recruit, train, and position them women candidates for success.

And quotas work. When quotas are enforced, suddenly political parties find, support, and elect women. And not only do women win, but they also prove to be effective leaders and successful at governing.

Quotas can be viewed as a sort of shortcut, to swiftly raise number of women in office, overcoming individual and partisan barriers.

Finally, beyond increasing numbers, quotas transform institutions. They have a knock-on effect. They lead to changes within party cultures, parliamentary codes of conduct and meeting structures, ensuring a more inclusive and professional environment. Quotas, and women entering institutions through quotas, actually have a transformative effect across the board within parties and parliaments in addition to the fact that elected women may hold different policy priorities.

4. Why is it important to apply a gender lens when analyzing elections?

When I started this work, I worked with political scientists who said, "Elections are about the best candidate winning. This is democracy and this is what we study." But taking a gender lens in this work makes us question that assumption. Because, if men are always winning, despite no inherent difference in abilities or talent, then what does that say about our electoral processes? If democracy means equal opportunity, why don’t we see equal outcomes for men and women in elections? Studying gender in elections reveals whether a democracy is truly substantively meaningful and inclusive. If the same types of candidates always win, are we really getting diverse representation? Are institutions truly accountable to all citizens, or just to those who have historically held power? 

5. What advice would you then give young women entering politics?

It’s not you, it’s them! Institutions are designed to preserve themselves and it may feel like the bar keeps moving for women when entering these institutions.

At first, you’ll be told you don’t speak up enough. So, you start speaking up. Then, you’ll be told you lack credentials. So, you’ll get them. And still, the bar shifts again.

This isn’t about your shortcomings, it’s about those in power wanting to maintain the status quo. Adjust when necessary, but don’t lose hope, trust yourself, keep pushing. And keep knocking down these barriers, change will happen!

Click here to see the original post published on Capacity4Dev (European Union) on 23 April 2025.

MONROVIA — A prominent fundraising campaign for Edith Gongloe-Weh, the only female candidate in Tuesday’s upcoming senatorial by-election in Nimba County, has drawn widespread support from prominent women, including former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. But the noticeable absence of key female legislators has raised questions about solidarity within Liberia’s female political circles.

Since April 15, women have gathered at Invincible Park fish market in Monrovia to raise $10,000 for Gongloe-Weh’s campaign, with funds earmarked for poll watchers to protect votes, similar to efforts that helped Senator Botoe Kanneh secure her seat in 2020.

“Anyone who stops women is stopping progress in the world,” said Sirleaf, 86, who briefly visited the fundraiser to contribute. The former president praised Gongloe-Weh’s past service as Nimba County superintendent, saying, “She shows integrity, commitment, and dedication.”

But conspicuously missing from these events have been Senator Botoe Kanneh and Senator Nyonblee Kargar Lawrence, chair of the Women’s Legislative Caucus — the very organization established to support female political participation.

Read here the full article published by Front Page Africa on 21 April 2025.

Image by Front Page Africa

Politics is a tough subject: it can either paint you as a villain or the master of progress.Sithembile Mbete is a political analyst whose passion goes beyond reporting. She questions the status quo and is not afraid to call out those who abuse power.

The Women and Foreign Policy program’s most recent update of the “Women’s Power Index” ranks 193 United Nations (UN) member states on their progress toward gender parity in political participation. It analyzes the proportion of women who serve as heads of state or government, in cabinets, in national legislatures, as candidates for national legislatures, and in local government bodies, and visualizes the gender gap in political representation.  

Over the past year global progress toward gender parity in political representation has remained flat at 29 on the 100-point aggregate scale employed in which a 100-point score represents gender parity. The number of countries that are halfway or more to parity has remained the same. Twenty-eight countries exceeded fifty in their gender parity score, including Canada, Dominica, Moldova, and the United Kingdom in the past year. Mozambique, Peru, Rwanda, and Senegal fell below that halfway to parity mark in the past year. The U.S. gender parity score is slightly above the global average at 35. Iceland has maintained its position in first place, with a score of 86, Mexico and Andorra occupy second and third place, with scores of 75 and 73, respectively. 

Progress in women’s political leadership at the national level has been stalling recently. Since the end of World War II, 82 of the 193 countries have elected a female head of state or government, with the most progress coming in the past two decades. Eleven countries elected their first woman into high office during the 2000s, twenty-five in the 2010s, and seventeen thus far in the 2020s. Most recently, Namibia elected its first woman president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, in 2025, and Mexico elected its first woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum, in 2024.

Read here the full article published by the Council on Foreign Relations on 2 April 2025.

Image by the Council on Foreign Relations

Women Now Hold Top Three Positions in Government 

Namibia has made history by becoming the first African country to have its top government positions held by women. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was recently sworn in as Namibia’s president after winning 58 percent of the vote. With her election, she becomes Namibia’s first female head of state but as well as Africa’s second-ever directly elected female president. Nandi-Ndaitwah promptly expanded the number of roles held by women upon taking office, appointing Lucia Witbooi as vice president and Saara Kuugongelwa–Amadhila as speaker of the National Assembly. This is also the first time these roles have been held by women. Nandi-Ndaitwah also made history with her cabinet appointments. For the first time, women hold the majority of positions. Sixty percent of Namibia’s fourteen ministers are now women and hold offices in finance, foreign affairs, health, education, and gender equality. The new president said her election should encourage other women because “I was not elected because I’m a woman, but on merit. Women are capable members of society.” Her priorities in this new administration are to diversify Namibia’s economy and reduce the country’s debt. 

Read here the full article published by the Council on Foreign Relations on 31 March 2025.

Image by Council on Foreign Relations