Parliaments and Representatives
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.
Event
July 21, 2014
Lucy Powell-British Member of Parliament: We need to have even more women entering politics
Women in politics is high on the agenda this week after David Cameron's reshuffle which his own spin doctors rather unfortunately dubbed a ‘catwalk reshuffle’.
July 21, 2014
Somalia: Somali Women Demand More Representation in Politics
Somali women leaders met in Mogadishu on Sunday (July 20th) to demand greater representation in national politics and clear constitutional provisions protecting their participation, Somalia's Hiiraan Online reported.
July 18, 2014
Bharatiya Janata Party committed to give 33 per cent reservation to women: Saroj Pandey (India)
Charging the former Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government of "betraying women by not giving reservation to them in decision-making bodies", BJP today said it was committed to political empowerment o
July 17, 2014
Gender Quota key to enhance political participation of women
Afghan parliamentarian and women’s rights activist, Farkhunda Zahra Naderi, has said that the Gender Quota is key to enhance the political participation of women.
July 17, 2014
Serbia improves position of women in politics
Women are taking an increasingly active role as decision-makers in Serbian politics, but some bloggers say more steps should be taken to ensure greater participation at the highest levels of government.
July 17, 2014
30 trained to contest elections
THIRTY Bahraini women are being trained to contest the upcoming parliamentary and municipal elections.
The four-phase programme, organised by the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), focuses on skills training, political empowerment of women, knowledge sharing and simulation activities.
July 17, 2014
Nine women to fight election, Bahrain
Nine Bahraini women have confirmed their candidacy for the upcoming parliament and municipal council elections.
However, they said they will reveal their election campaigns closer to the polls, which are expected to take place in November.