Parliaments & Representatives

The global proportion of women parliamentarians has increased by 0.6 percentage points to reach 26.1 per cent according to the IPU’s latest Women in Parliament in 2021 report. This is in line with progress seen in the past two years. The increase can be largely attributed to the critical role played by well-designed quotas.

The House of Representatives has rejected a bill seeking to reserve special seats for Women at the National and State Houses of Assembly.

This followed the rejection of the bill at the electronic voting on the amendment of 1999 Constitution on Tuesday in Abuja.

The bill entitled,” A Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide For Special Seats for Women at the National and State Houses of Assembly”.

Nicola Sturgeon said she fears the forthcoming council elections will see equal representation go “backwards” as women are reluctant to enter the “toxic” world of politics.

Speaking at an event ahead of International Women’s Day, the First Minister highlighted that only three parliaments in the entire world have 50% female representation.

Women make up over half of Myanmar’s population, yet significant obstacles remain for women to be able to participate in political processes and to achieve equal representation in Myanmar’s state institutions. Before the military coup on 1 February 2021, Myanmar’s 2020 general elections saw an increased number of women elected as members in legislatures (16 per cent) in comparison to the 2015 elections (13 per cent).