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.
As the new German Bundestag sits for the first time on 26 October, IPU data shows that it has more women MPs and that the number of young MPs has significantly increased compared with the previous legislature elected in 2017.
Au Kirghizstan, le grand nombre d’hommes en politique est un problème. Mais cette histoire est celle de « petites » femmes qui font de grandes choses.
Au Kirghizstan, le grand nombre d’hommes en politique est un problème. Mais cette histoire est celle de « petites » femmes qui font de grandes choses.
The League of California Cities Women’s Caucus is a nonpartisan and multicultural organization of local public officials who are dedicated to advancing and empowering women as leaders and advocating for issues that improve the well-being of women and our constituents
The League of California Cities Women’s Caucus is a nonpartisan and multicultural organization of local public officials who are dedicated to advancing and empowering women as leaders and advocating for issues that improve the well-being of women and our constituents
Special Representative on Gender Issues Hedy Fry (Canada) issued the 2021 Report today with a thematic focus on “Violence against women journalists and politicians: a growing crisis,” shedding light on intensifying and widespread offline and online violence against women in two public f
Special Representative on Gender Issues Hedy Fry (Canada) issued the 2021 Report today with a thematic focus on “Violence against women journalists and politicians: a growing crisis,” shedding light on intensifying and widespread offline and online violence against women in two public f
One of NLC’s five constituency groups, WIMG brings together female municipal leaders to network and share best practices.
One of NLC’s five constituency groups, WIMG brings together female municipal leaders to network and share best practices.
The compilation, analysis and dissemination of gender statistics are critical to capture the specific realities in the life of women and men.
The compilation, analysis and dissemination of gender statistics are critical to capture the specific realities in the life of women and men.
Pope Francis has appointed the first-ever woman to head the governorate of the Vatican City. Sister Raffaella Petrini will serve as secretary-general of the Governorate and become the highest-ranking woman in the world's smallest state.
Beirut, (UN Women, The European Union and The World Bank) - Lebanon is facing a convergence of political, economic and social crises, all exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These crises are causing extraor
Political decisions get better the more diverse the people are who make them. That is especially true in deeply divided societies, in countries that want to move from war to peace.
Political decisions get better the more diverse the people are who make them. That is especially true in deeply divided societies, in countries that want to move from war to peace.