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.
Spain’s new parliament, sworn in on Tuesday, has the largest share of women in any European legislature, no small achievement for a country still reinventing itself four decades after the end of a right-wing, traditionalist dictatorship.
The next federal parliament is set to have a record number of women but Australia still has a "long way to go" until it achieves gender parity in its corridors of power.
The main issues driving Finland’s 2019 parliamentary election on April 14, 2019 included the previous government coalition’s unsuccessful attempt to pass a long-debated social and healthcare reform; the need for action to mitigate climate change; and
The IPU and UN Women held a joint parliamentary event at the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (
How do we know whether women are achieving equitable levels of political representation? For many years, scholars have focused on women’s representation in legislatures.
This map is a unique visual tool that captures women’s participation in executive government and in parliament on a given date—1st January 2019.
This map is a unique visual tool that captures women’s participation in executive government and in parliament on a given date—1st January 2019.
The annual report provides an update and analysis of progress made and setbacks encountered by women in parliament further to elections and renewals held over a year.
The annual report provides an update and analysis of progress made and setbacks encountered by women in parliament further to elections and renewals held over a year.
Investing in gender equality: Parliaments ensuring social protection, public services and infrastructure deliver for women and girls.
