Elections

In what is arguably a significant step forward for women in politics, 2023 saw two important events: the passing of the Women's Reservation Bill, and an increase in women’s participation in the Assembly elections in various states. Not only are more women showing up to vote, but they're also playing a big role in deciding which political parties get support.

What numbers tell us

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Dutch voters may be about to get someone very different from the outgoing veteran prime minister Mark Rutte.

A former refugee, Dilan Yeşilgöz, who succeeded Rutte as leader of the VVD party, is now leading the polls ahead of Wednesday’s vote and could become the first female prime minister in Dutch history.

The average Swiss parliament member is male, well-educated and 50 years old. This year’s elections have accentuated an already existing trend.

“The 2023 elections have resulted in less diversity,” says Daniel Höhmann, a political scientist at the University of Basel. “This is a step backwards in terms of the representation of the different segments of the Swiss population.”

Political parties claim to have met the minimum national quota of 30 percent for female candidates, but a recent report has found that only one party competing in the 2024 legislative election meets the requirement at the district level. For two decades since the enactment of the 2003 Legislative Elections Law, each political party contesting a legislative election has been required to field a cohort of candidates of which at least 30 percent are female.

Nearly 17 months after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, abortion rights supporters celebrated in Ohio after voters added the right to access abortion care to the state’s constitution.

Zimbabwe’s recent election has exposed weak gender policies both at the political party and governmental levels as women were sidelined despite the fact that they make up more than half of the 6.5 million electorate.