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.
Women will take 61 per cent of seats in the next Lower House of Parliament (Chamber of Deputies) going by the latest results from this week’s parliamentary elections.
To further discuss the establishment of a gender electoral network in the Arab region, the Organization of Arab Electoral Management Bodies (Arab EMBs), the UNDP and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistan
Djibouti’s new legislature is making great efforts to become more representative of the country’s people. Elections in February changed the composition of the National Assembly with an intake of 60 per cent of new MPs.
This paper in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization - Volume 151 examines in what roles women have an impact on corruption by focusing on female labor force participation and their presence in the parliament.
In this crazy, politically volatile year, there’s been plenty to worry about. But amongst all the trouble, there’s a sign of hope: more women have won major party nominations in 2018 than ever before.
NPR's Lakshmi Singh talks with Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib, who won her Detroit-area primary last week and runs unopposed in November. She's set to be among the first Muslim women in Congress.
A number of organisations representing the interests of women have gathered in Parliament on Monday for a Women’s Charter Review Conference.
