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.
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
(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - An impasse between Samoa’s incumbent prime minister and female opposition leader could see a backlash against gender quota rules in the small Pacific island nation and stop other women from entering politics across the
Female MPs in Tanzania have called for an apology to an MP who was ordered to leave parliament because of her trousers.
The political agreement signed in Somalia this past heralds not just a new democratic dawn but also one of equity and inclusivity by raising the quota of women in the formal political space to at least a third of the bicameral fede
Cyprus, already among the countries where women account for fewer than one in five members in parliaments, experienced a three per cent drop in representation compared with the 2016 parliamentary elections.
