Women make up only 23.5% of Members of Parliament according to the latest available data of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. While significant strides in women’s political participation have been made since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995, which set Member States’ target of achieving gender balance in political decision-making, women are still underrepresented in political decision-making at all levels and gender balance remains an aspirational goal. Gains in women’s participation have been notable in countries that have taken proactive steps to support women’s political participation, including reforming or amending discriminatory laws, taking concrete action to address violence against women in politics and gender discrimination within parliaments, addressing gender-specific barriers, and supporting women in all forms of decision-making including at local level and in executive government.
Researchers at the King Center on Global Development are addressing challenges such as gender-based violence and low labor participation, with the aim to inform supportive policy interventions.
Women in Nigeria have called for more opportunities to encourage their active participation in policymaking and to support female candidates during elections.
Mass mobilizations have been a feature of Claudia Sheinbaum’s first year presiding over Mexico, and to finish her first “accountability” tour of Mexico and mark one year of governance, she had her biggest yet.
As Jammu and Kashmir gears up for another round of Rajya Sabha nominations, a familiar question returns, and once again, it risks being ignored: will a woman finally find a place at the table? For more than seventy years, the answer has been an unbroken no.
Sanae Takaichi just broke Japan’s highest glass ceiling.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon.
CANADIAN High Commissioner to Zambia Emily Burns says some women in politics whom the Canadian government supports have been expressing concerns about some of the proposed constitutional reforms.