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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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March 11, 2022
Women invited to forge pathway into politics as new knowledge hub launches

An innovative program to advance female participation in Australian politics is calling for new participants and launching a knowledge hub, sharing leading research, articles and interviews on the eve of International Women’s Day 2022.

Pathways to Politics Program for Women

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March 11, 2022

Pathways to Politics Program for Women

The Pathways to Politics Program for Women is a national, proudly non-partisan initiative that aims to change the face of politics by equipping women with the skills, knowledge, confidence and networks they need to run for elected office and thrive as political lea

The Pathways to Politics Program for Women is a national, proudly non-partisan initiative that aims to change the face of politics by equipping women with the skills, knowledge, confidence and networks they need to run for elected office and thrive as political lea

March 11, 2022
Access to justice for women and girls: UNDP and UN Women launch the Gender Justice Platform

On International Women’s Day, UNDP and UN Women launched the Gender Justice Platform to leverage their partnership on gender justice. Since 2020, UN Women and UNDP have joined together to enable access to justice for 42,000 individuals.

March 10, 2022
International Women's Day: Chinese women continue to face political, socio-economic discriminations

As the world is set to celebrate International Women’s day, Chinese women continue to face political and socio-economic discriminations despite the communist regime’s tall claims of women empowerment. The Covid-19 pandemic has further aggravated the situation.

Situation analysis on women's political participation in Africa

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March 10, 2022

Situation analysis on women's political participation in Africa

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2022, the Women in Political Participation (WPP) project invites you to the webinar Situation Analysis on Women's Political Participation in Africa: #BreakTheBias t

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2022, the Women in Political Participation (WPP) project invites you to the webinar Situation Analysis on Women's Political Participation in Africa: #BreakTheBias t

Gender equality and the Summit for Democracy

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March 8, 2022

Gender equality and the Summit for Democracy

Political gender equality is a central pillar of democracy, as all people, independently of gender, should have an equal say in political representation and decision-making.

Political gender equality is a central pillar of democracy, as all people, independently of gender, should have an equal say in political representation and decision-making.

March 8, 2022
Statement on International Women’s Day

By Ashim Steiner

March 8, 2022
Paraguay: Political training for women helps reduce the representation gap

In a region that has seen the greatest progress in political gender equality in the last two decades, Paraguay stands out, but for the wrong reasons: it has the third-lowest percentage of women in parliament in the Americas, with 17.5%, roughly half the regional avera

March 7, 2022
Enhancing women's political participation in Africa

Enhancing Women's Political Participation in Africa (Women in Political Participation (WPP) is a Pan-African gender project on the different facets of Women and Politics in Africa.