Two sides, one goal: consolidating power for gender equality
In the 2020 elections in Georgia, women increased their share of seats in parliament from 14 to almost 20 percent.
Parliaments and Representatives
Democracy and the equal participation of men and women in the political arena are closely intertwined. No parliament or any decision-making body can claim to be representative without the participation of both men and women. As stated in the Universal Declaration on Democracy adopted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Member Parliaments in 1997, "The achievement of democracy presupposes a genuine partnership between men and women in the conduct of the affairs of society in which they work in equality and complementarity, drawing mutual enrichment from their differences."
Recent years have seen a steady increase in the number of women in parliament, though the world average of less than 22 percent remains far from the goal of parity between women and men. The election of women to the highest positions of state and government in several countries has also contributed to the changing face of politics.
While the road to election is a difficult one, the challenges for women do not stop there. Once women enter parliament or other bodies, they are faced with many new challenges. Parliament is traditionally a male-oriented domain where the rules and practices have been written by men. It is, therefore, an ongoing challenge to transform parliament into a gender-sensitive environment, to ensure that actions are gender-sensitive and to guarantee that gender is mainstreamed throughout the legislature.
Why we must work with parliaments to tackle online hate speech and gender-based violence
Recent evidence of violence against women in politics shows that online hate speech and harassment represent both serious and increasing obstacles to the ability of female political leaders to fulfil their mandates.
Equal Future: How many women are in your parliament?
Over the last 25 years, since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action by the United Nations in 1995, the number of women parliamentarians has nearly doubled worldwide.
July 4, 2022
Cuba second in the world on parliamentary gender parity
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has placed Cuba as the second of the five countries in the world that boast gender parity in parliament and the country with the second-highest proportion of
July 4, 2022
Women battle for seats in PNG parliament
Port Moresby (AFP) – Women are fighting to get at least one seat in Papua New Guinea's male-dominated parliament when voting opens Monday in a mountainous, forest-clad land scarred by gender-based violence.
July 1, 2022
Jersey election 2022: Number of females elected rises from 14 to 21
The 2022 election has seen more women elected to Jersey's government than ever before.
A total of 51% of the newly-elected deputies are women, and women now make up 43% of the overall government.
How to level the playing field for women in Venezuelan politics
Despite some small advances and changes in legislation, both chavismo and the opposition make things more difficult for female politicians. But Venezuela could take some steps towards equality.
If we take abuse of women for granted in politics, our democracy will pay
Online abuse and harassment of women in public life has become a curse on our political landscape.
Political violence targeting women in West Africa
Women around the world are facing unprecedented levels of targeted political violence. This is also true in West Africa. Women can be targeted in a myriad of ways, by an array of types of perpetrators, during and outside of periods of conflict and contentious crises.