While young people play central and catalyzing roles in movements for democracy around the world, they are less engaged than older generations in voting and party activism. As of 2016 people between the ages of 20 and 44 make up 57% of the world’s voting age population but only 26% of the world’s Members of Parliament (MPs). Young people under 30 only represent 1.9% of the world’s MP’s and more than 80% of the world’s upper houses of Parliament have no MPs aged under 30. While male MPs outnumber female MPs in every age category, gender imbalance is less pronounced among younger MPs around the world. This suggests that young men and women may be more likely to make way for new faces and voices to be represented in decision-making (Inter-parliamentary Union Youth Participation in National Parliaments, 2016). Strategies that may promote the engagement of youth in political processes include: youth quotas; legal reforms to align the voting age with the minimum age for elected officials; proportional representation electoral systems; inclusive parliaments and local governance; removal of barriers for youth electoral participation; outreach and recruitment of students by political parties; and targeted outreach to youth political candidates.
The Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association will co-host a hybrid Rule of Law Seminar focused on advancing the participation of young women in politics in member countries.
The Gen-Z-led uprising in Nepal did not erupt out of nowhere – it emerged from intersecting pressures that had been quietly building for decades.
Even as more women across Southeast Asia step into visible roles in business, government, and civil society, many still struggle to break into positions of real influence.
India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind.
India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind.
Working in feminist communications and advocacy, Verónica sees media not simply as a profession, but as a powerful political tool.
Working in feminist communications and advocacy, Verónica sees media not simply as a profession, but as a powerful political tool.
UNITED NATIONS, New York – As technology reshapes our world, a staggering 85 per cent of women have witnessed online violence against other women, and 38 per cent have been personally affected. 
Dhaka: Bangladesh is witnessing a quiet yet devastating rise in the misuse of technology with rising incidents of women being targetted by superimposing their faces onto pornographic content.
Today, on International Women’s Day, UNICEF reaffirms its commitment to advancing the rights of every girl – and ensuring that girls can thrive in an increasingly digital world.
Gender-based civil society organisations (CSOs) have described the use of Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) to silence and discourage women from seeking or holding positions of influence as a threat to equal and meaningful participation.