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Women's Leadership

While there have been important advances in women’s leadership in politics, as of November 1 2017, women make up only 7.2% of Heads of State and 6.2% Heads of Government. Data on women representatives in local government, including as mayors, heads of villages and towns, is not well collected and analyzed. The adoption of an SDG indicator on women’s representation in local government is a great step forward in tracking progress on gender balance, allowing for the systematic collection and analysis of data on women in local government. Women’s access to and continued role in leadership positions is challenged by a range of barriers, including discriminatory laws and practices, as well as social norms that prescribe traditional roles and attitudes towards women’s participation in leadership and decision-making roles. Proactive gender-equality policies within political parties and local government structures, including quotas and special temporary measures, gender-sensitive approaches to electoral processes, support networks, mentoring, training, and engagement of male champions, can all help promote women’s role in political leadership. 

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July 22, 2019
Record number of women win seats in Japan election, but female voters wary of government's empowerment pledge

Despite a record number of women winning seats in Sunday’s Upper House election, some female voters have expressed doubts about the government’s commitment to empowering women.

July 22, 2019
Japan election: Surge of women candidates could reshape male-dominated parliament

One of the world's most unequal parliaments could be about to get a lot more female, or ... maybe not.

July 19, 2019
‘No hope’ global development goals can be achieved without women, says UN Assembly President

“This is an obvious point to make, but it is, sadly, one that we cannot repeat enough”, she said, opening the day-long discussion a

Interviews

July 18, 2019
How 4 congresswomen came to be called “the Squad”

The term is making headlines, but Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley, and Tlaib have their own definition.

July 17, 2019
Encourage women in politics, says IEBC

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has called for policies that will encourage women to play active roles in mainstream politics.

July 16, 2019
Ursula von der Leyen elected first female European commission president

Ursula von der Leyen has been confirmed as the European commission’s first female president and the first German in the job for more than 50 years.