Women's Leadership

A compendium of ideas to reach gender parity in municipal politics

How can we begin to overcome the countless obstacles that are preventing women from fully participating in municipal politics? 

The suggestions in this Inventory were compiled following consultations we carried out across Canada, as part of FCM’s Toward Parity Project.

These actions are not official FCM recommendations. They are potential strategies that need to be assessed to determine whether they can be adapted to fit local realities and opportunities.

Click here to access the guide.

Africa has made significant progress in enhancing inclusive political participation and representation, mostly for women, youth and people living with disabilities. This report unpacks the trends and challenges of inclusive participation in Africa.

The domestication (though at varying levels) of global and regional normative frameworks such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, the African Youth Charter, and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance has enhanced traction towards inclusive political participation across the continent. However, traction towards progressive legislative frameworks to enhance political participation and representation of refugees remains weak. The thrust for a multigenerational and multidimensional focus in addressing barriers to inclusive political participation and representation should be strengthened.

Click here to access the report.

There are currently just 30 female presidents and prime ministers worldwide. Moldova and Barbados are the only two countries where women occupy both the positions of president and prime minister, while Bangladesh is the only nation where a woman has led for more years than a man over the last half century.

Clearly, women leaders matter as a question of gender equity, but as my research shows, they may also matter to women in other ways.

I looked at four different female presidents in three different political systems: the Philippines’ first female president, Corazon Aquino (1986–1992) and its second female leader, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001–2010); Indonesia’s first and only female president, Megawati Sukarnoputri (2001–2004); and Sri Lanka’s Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK).

Click here to read the full article published by The Conversation on 27 July 2022.

The way politics is played in Melanesian countries has very little national inclusivity about it – in terms of participation by and representation of both men and women at the national level. The role of women is, almost exclusively, to vote, not to actively play the game itself. To use soccer as an analogy: women can be coaches, spectators and fans. But if a woman wants to go into the field and play, this is no game for her.

The foundation of this game is the political party system. In Vanuatu,  some might be interested in pursuing a platform based on principles, policies and development, but in reality the game played on the ground is about locking in numbers of votes first, usually through incentives, in order to be considered by the party. It is an expensive exercise better played by ‘businessmen’ types – because in communities, your legitimacy is based on your ability to show up and provide material ‘stuff’.

Click here to read the full article published by DevPolicy on 27 July 2022.

Research shows that female political leadership directs countries to adopt more robust climate change policies. Even though women globally are just 26.3 per cent of all parliamentarians, they are able to make a disproportionate impact.

The IPU is committed to increasing the ranks of women MPs from the current 11,653 and is happy to showcase these representative seven, who are already having a profound influence on national and global efforts to mitigate climate change: 

1. Mia Mottley

Prime Minister of Barbados since 2018 and leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008, Mottley is the first woman to hold either position. Awarded the UN’s Champion of the Earth Award for policy leadership in 2021, she has spent years campaigning against pollution, climate change and deforestation, turning Barbados into a frontrunner in the global environmental movement. At COP26 last year, she made global headlines for an impassioned speech in which she castigated major countries for pushing the world towards a climate catastrophe and imperilling the future of small island states like her own.

Click here to read the full article published by The Inter-Parliamentary Union on 27 July 2022.

In the months of July and August, Senegal and Kenya will hold their general elections. However, the big question remains: Where do Senegalese and Kenyan women stand on their quest to parliamentary mandates and political offices?

Recent statistics from Afrobarometer, the number of women in politics, academia and in business has been slowly but steadily increasing on the African continent over the last two decades. At a quick glance, this could paint a picture of success in gender equity. However, that is not the case.

In the months of July and August, Senegal and Kenya will hold their general elections. However, the big question remains: Where do Senegalese and Kenyan women stand on their quest to parliamentary mandates and political offices? Are legal and policy frameworks that the respective governments have put in place to enhance gender equality in politics yielded any fruits?

Click here to read the full article published by Heinrich Böll Stiftung on 18 July 2022.