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.
Lorena Cruz Sanchez, president of the Mexican National Women's Institute (INMUJERES), said that the state of Sinaloa is a pion
Rwanda, leader on women’s political empowerment, have recently passed a new law giving rights to new mothers.
The Speaker of the National Assembly of Mauritius, Ms.
In 2013 the 29th General Assembly of the Latin American Parliament, that took place on 19-20 October, approved the Resolution on the political participation of women, which “reaffirms the
In 2013 the 29th General Assembly of the Latin American Parliament, that took place on 19-20 October, approved the Resolution on the political participation of women, which “reaffirms the
African leaders have celebrated the 26th African Union Summit from 21 to 31 January, in Addis Ababa.
The Congress of the State of Oaxaca approved last 28 January reforming the state law on women's access to a life without violence.
Building on the theme “Agenda 2030: Youth leading the way, leaving no one behind”, the third edition of the IPU’s Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians will take place will take place on 16 and 17 March 201
The 134th Assembly of the Inter-parliamentary Union will take place from 19 to 23rd of March 2016 in Lusaka, Zambia.
The Chamber of the Chilean Senate approved with 35 votes in favor, the new law on political parties, in the absence of some outstanding voting points.