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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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Echo Live
November 15, 2023
'You're almost afraid to say what you think': Harassment contributing to women in Cork leaving politics

AN ELECTED member of Cork County Council, who has announced her intention not to run again, has said she received a death threat and online abuse during her two terms as a councillor.

Interviews

November 13, 2023
Pathways to Politics Program for Women aims to increase female representation in Australian politics

Australia still lags behind countries like Iceland, New Zealand and Rwanda when it comes to female representation in parliament — but a national program is hoping to change that.

November 10, 2023
Thai politicians, sexual harassment and what really needs to be fixed?

Move Forward Party MPs Wuttipong Thonglour and Chaiyamparwaan Manpianjit were expelled from the party after it was decided by the party’s disciplinary board that they had sexually harassed party

November 10, 2023
Uganda: Women still lag behind in politics – new report

Ugandan women as a special interest group remain on the sidelines of mainstream politics despite years of affirmative action, a new government report has revealed.

Don’t subject women legislators to patriarchal gaze

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November 6, 2023

Don’t subject women legislators to patriarchal gaze

Women have to ‘work twice as hard to get half as far’ as their male counterparts.

Women have to ‘work twice as hard to get half as far’ as their male counterparts.

Welcome to the silly season

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November 3, 2023

Welcome to the silly season

The current brouhaha surrounding comments made by two senior Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) parliamentarians about the physical attributes (or lack thereof) of a female People's National Party (PNP)

The current brouhaha surrounding comments made by two senior Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) parliamentarians about the physical attributes (or lack thereof) of a female People's National Party (PNP)

November 3, 2023
What stands in way of realising two-thirds gender requirement

While celebrating 13 years since the promulgation of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, Katiba Institute highlighted several achievements, some of which demonstrated a greater involvement of women in pol

November 3, 2023
Monica Mutsvangwa bemoans gender imbalance in politics

WOMEN’s Affairs minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, yesterday bemoaned the imbalance between men and women in politics saying this undermined the principles of democracy and social justice.