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.
TOKYO – Japanese political parties are competing with each other to promote female candidates ahead of a lower house election that must be held by this fall, but some worry that, like similar efforts before, the initiative may be more sloganeering th
No matter which party prevails in Virginia’s elections in November, the result of the lieutenant governor’s race will be the same in one way: A woman of color will hold a statewide office in the commonwealth for the first time in history.
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kakumiro Woman Member of Parliament Robinah Nabbanja has been approved by legislators as Uganda’s first female Prime Minister.
The Parliament of Uganda has Monday morning approved the appointment of Hon Jessica Alupo as new Vice President of Uganda.
Nigeria has very few women participating in politics. Only seven out of 109 senators and 22 of the 360 House of Representatives members are women.
Nigeria has very few women participating in politics. Only seven out of 109 senators and 22 of the 360 House of Representatives members are women.
ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina has confirmed that she accepted an apology from a fellow member of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Djibril War, the Senegal representative.
Mexico is the first country in the world to implement gender parity so thoroughly and effectively. The journey has not been easy—and is far from over.
Mexico is the first country in the world to implement gender parity so thoroughly and effectively. The journey has not been easy—and is far from over.
Women were poised to win a record number of state governors’ offices in Mexican mid-term elections on Sunday, capturing territory long dominated by men and giving them a bigger political platform to reach the presidency one day.
By Rachel Brule and