Women's Leadership

This e-Discussion raised awareness and collected experiences and knowledge on gender differences in political media coverage, its impact on women’s political participation and representation, as well as gathered good practices and recommendations on ways to counter the negative impact of media portrayals of women in politics with fair and unbiased coverage.

Participants, including local and national lawmakers, former government ministers, journalists, civil society activists, experts, and researchers, joined this e-Discussion from 7 to 30 September 2022. Along with our partners, we thank all the followers who took time to share experiences, practices, and recommendations.

The submission contributed to the elaboration of this e-Discussion summary, expanding the knowledge base available on women in politics and the media.

UN Women and ESCWA conducted in-depth interviews with seven Lebanese women in politics who were all ‘first’s’ in different ways. They include the first female Minister of Interior in Lebanon and the Arab world, the first female Minister to have a child, the first female independent Member of Parliament, the first female Secretary-General of a political party represented in Parliament and the first female Head of party.

This report analyses the set of interviews and explores the stories of each - the barriers they faced to political participation and the opportunities they leveraged.

The report aims to offer policy makers and practitioners a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist when women seek political office in Lebanon.

Click here to access the report.

Beirut, 12 December 2022 – Today, UN Women and ESCWA jointly launched a report on women’s political participation entitled “Women at the Table: Insights from Lebanese Women in Politics”. The report analyses a set of seven in-depth interviews with female Lebanese political actors and explores the challenges and opportunities they faced in office.

Although Lebanese women gained the right to vote in 1952, and despite a vibrant feminist movement, women remain grossly under-represented in public and political life. Out of 88 Lebanese governments formed since 1943, only 9 governments have included women, and today women represent only 4% of the current caretaker cabinet, with one female minister out of 24. Lebanon ranked 110 out of 146 countries in political representation in 2022, according to the World Economic Forum Gender Gap index – though this ranking was assessed when Lebanon had 30% women in cabinet in early 2021 - and is ranked 183 out of 187 countries in terms of women’s participation in parliament. In comparison to its Arab neighbors, the country lags far behind, as it ranks 15th of 17 Arab countries in female parliamentarians.

Click here to read the full article published by UN Women on 12 December 2022.

When the new Los Angeles City Council meets Tuesday for its first session, six women will have seats around the horseshoe in the chamber, the most in city history.

This year's council elections welcomed in three new women in Katy Young Yaroslavsky, Traci Park and Eunisses Hernandez. They will join Monica Rodriguez, Nithya Raman and Heather Hutt.

Rodriguez, elected in 2017, is the most senior woman on the council followed by Raman, who was elected in 2020. Hutt was appointed as an interim council member for the 10th District a few months ago.

Click here to read the full article published by CBS on 12 December 2022.

How to Include the Missing Perspectives of Women of All Colors in News Leadership and Coverage — a new report from Luba Kassova.

From Outrage to Opportunity: How to Include the Missing Perspectives of Women of All Colors in News Leadership and Coverage is a solutions-focused sequel to the award-winning independent reports, The Missing Perspectives of Women in News/COVID-19 News, authored by Luba Kassova and commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It examines the harsh realities facing women of all colors in news leadership and coverage in India, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK, and the USA.

In both editorial leadership roles and in news coverage, women continue to be significantly under-represented in an industry persistently dominated by men. While women in news have it hard, women of color have it even harder. In countries with multi-racial populations, women of color experience greater exclusion in the news industry.

Click here to access the report.

Nearly a quarter of the leaders on the 2022 Forbes List Of The World’s Most Powerful Women play a major role in politics and policy at a time when rising inflation, supply chain disruptions, and a looming climate crisis threaten geopolitical stability. And while women remain vastly underrepresented throughout all levels of government, their combined political might continues to have an outsized impact on the world stage. Collectively, these women directly oversee or influence nearly 3 billion people and over half of the world’s GDP. But the dynamics of political power are shifting as leaders must adapt to growing unrest and increasing threats to democracy.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe faces an energy crisis that has the potential to weaken its economic position for years to come. Yet, the EU stands more united than ever in its steadfast resolve to uphold democracy. For that reason, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tops this year’s list, closely followed by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde. Both women must balance continued support of Ukraine while curbing rising inflation and energy costs. The continent stands at a critical juncture as efforts to disrupt funding for Russia’s war machine will continue to put a severe economic squeeze on member states.

Click here to read the full article published by Forbes on 6 December 2022.