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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.

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The Standard
October 16, 2024
Women MPs make history as London is first region ever to have majority female representation in Parliament
Inter Pares
Inter Pares
Inter Pares
Inter Pares
October 14, 2024
Recap: Empowering Voices: From Gender Mainstreaming to Youth Inclusion in Parliaments - 10 October 2024

The event featured insightful discussions on gender equality and the importance of diverse representation in parliaments. 

Belga News Agency
October 9, 2024
Female politicians get twice as many sexist comments on social media

Women in politics receive twice as many sexist comments on social media as their male colleagues, writes Het Laatste Nieuws on Tuesday. This also applies to local councillors and politicians with an immigrant background.

The Japan Times
October 2, 2024
Number of women in Japan's Cabinet drops to two

New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday named two women ministers to his Cabinet, down from five in the outgoing administration.