The right to vote and the right to stand for election are two fundamental elements of democracy. Notably, many countries did not afford women the right to vote until the 20th Century. Even today, universal suffrage is not a given right in all countries, and women often face obstacles that undermine their participation in political and electoral processes. There are various ways to support women in overcoming these obstacles. Such methods include revising the electoral system used, applying affirmative action mechanisms such as quotas, improving voter education for women and training political candidates. These are a few of the modes available to strengthen women’s political participation .Photo©Jens Franssen
Supported by recent revisions to Mongolia’s election law, a record number of women are on the ballot in parliamentary elections on June 28. They are seeking seats in what has traditionally been a male-dominated body.
The top United Nations envoy in Libya today stressed the importance of the equal participation of women in rebuilding the country, as he commended the number of women who have registered to vote and to stand for election in the upcoming legislative polls.
There’s been a dramatic change of fate in Egypt: Mohamed Morsi was once a prisoner under President Hosni Mubarak. Now Morsi is president-elect of Egypt, at the very same time Mubarak is serving his sentence in the notorious Tora Prison.
In the lead-up to the forthcoming National Assembly elections on 7 July, female candidates will have the support of a national campaign entitled ‘My Voice for Her.’
The frontrunner for head of state believes she can move the new generation on, so why are young men and women her biggest critics?
The right to vote and the right to stand for election are two fundamental tenets of democracy. Notably, many countries did not afford women the right to vote until the 20th Century. Even today, universal suffrage is not a given right in all countries, and women often face obstacles that undermine their participation in political and electoral processes.
Linda Maguire
Julie Ballington is the Policy Advisor on Political Participation in the Leadership and Governance Section at UN-Women.
Mona Lena Krook is Assistant Professor of Political Science and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. She is a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and a Fellow in the Women and Public Policy Program at the John F.