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.
I have lost count of the number of women I have met, telling me they wanted to run for political office. Good women, with real ideas about the leadership their counties or wards were missing. Each of them spoke of her plans with real conviction.
As women gain political ground around the world, there is hope that the election of more women might also mean cleaner government. But is this the case?
After three consecutive electoral cycles in which the double-quota system (the mechanism guaranteeing a minimum of 40% gender representation on candidate lists) brought a record number of women into Parliament and local councils, the political representation of other vulnerable groups r
Hundreds of women rallied in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, on June 11, urging
Speaker of the National Parliament Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, MP, on Wednesday held a courtesy meeting with a delegation from UN Women to discuss measures aimed at advancing women’s rights, empowerment and gender equality in Bangladesh.
Moroccan women’s rights organizations have criticized political parties over the limited number of women selected to head electoral lists for the September 2026 parliamentary elections, arguing that the nominations fall short of the country’s constitutional commitm
Like most households, mine has a morning routine.
As we wait for our baby to wake, my partner makes me a coffee and I open an app designed to shield me from the worst of the internet. It has become as routine as checking my emails.
The 2020 U.S. Census found that Asian Americans were the fastest-growing segment of the U.S.