Skip to main content

Parliaments & Representatives

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.

Show on Home Page
Yes
Image
Icon
Banner Image
November 23, 2018
Women outnumber men at Westminster on #AskHerToStandDay

Hundreds of women from all walks of life descended on Westminster on Wednesday, to mark the moment women first got the right to stand for parliament 100 years ago.

November 19, 2018
President Solih’s cabinet to hold more women than usual

The newly elected president of Maldives announced that 6 women will be part of the newest cabinet of Maldives. This marks the first time that the cabinet holds almost an equivalent number of women in the Maldives.

November 16, 2018
India: Kavitha roots for women in politics

Member of Parliament K. Kavitha has pitched for passage of women’s reservation bill in the Parliament as a disruptive short-term solution to reduce male dominance in various sectors, including politics.

Interviews

November 7, 2018
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wins, becoming youngest woman ever elected to the US Congress

Progressive Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won her race for a U.S. House seat in New York’s 14th District on Tuesday, becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

November 5, 2018
Joenia Wapichana: Brazil's first indigenous woman voted to Congress

Sao Paulo - Joenia Wapichana never thought she would get into politics.

The 43-year-old indigenous lawyer also never imagined she'd make history, not just once but on three occasions.

November 5, 2018
Female politicians from around world mark century of UK women’s suffrage

A young Bosnian MP who denounced her uncle’s war crimes, a member of the Syrian opposition and a Gambian women’s rights campaigner are among the female parliamentarians who will sit in the House of Commons chamber this week.

Interviews

In the words of Tanya Gilly Khailany: “When it comes to women’s rights, there’s no room for diplomacy”

Back
October 23, 2018

In the words of Tanya Gilly Khailany: “When it comes to women’s rights, there’s no room for diplomacy”

Tanya Gilly Khailany, from Iraqi-Kurdistan, is a former member of the Iraqi Parliament (2006 – 2010) and a co-founder of the SEED Foundation, an organization that works with survivors of violence and trafficking in Iraq.

Tanya Gilly Khailany, from Iraqi-Kurdistan, is a former member of the Iraqi Parliament (2006 – 2010) and a co-founder of the SEED Foundation, an organization that works with survivors of violence and trafficking in Iraq.