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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.

Leadership News
December 12, 2023
Violence against women in politics rarely reported

Executive director of Baobab for Women Human Rights, Bunmi Dipo-Salami, said the violence against women in politics is rarely reported.

Female politicians in top positions are sexually harassed

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December 12, 2023

Female politicians in top positions are sexually harassed

Female politicians have asked their male counterparts to desist from the habit of sexually harassing them, saying the vice is rampant in Uganda’s political corridors.

Female politicians have asked their male counterparts to desist from the habit of sexually harassing them, saying the vice is rampant in Uganda’s political corridors.

The Standard Digital
December 11, 2023
Women in politics suffer brunt of GBV

As the world marks the 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), the resilient voices of women in Mt Elgon and Trans Nzoia have exposed the harsh realities they encounter within the challenging realm of politics.

NewsDay Zimbabwe
December 8, 2023
Zimbabwe: Female MPs lobby for sexual harassment law

FEMALE lawmakers are pushing for the tabling of a Sexual Harassment Bill  to protect women in politics against persecution by their male counterparts.

The Libya Update
December 8, 2023
Bathily emphasizes the importance of political participation for Libyan women

The UN envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, met with a delegation from the “High National Council for Libyan Women,” as part of the consultations he is conducting with a number of components of Libyan society, in addition to what he described as his quest to bridge the ga

Drishti IAS English
December 7, 2023
Women Reservation Act, 2023 - Women in Politics








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Source: IPU
December 5, 2023
AI–4/5: On violence against women in politics, identify best practice and share it

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has prompted many experts to warn about its impacts on democracy. To explore this issue further, the IPU is preparing a series of articles on the topic.

Daily Sabah
December 5, 2023
Turkish women mark 89 years of full political rights, to vote, hold office

One of the first few countries to introduce suffrage for women and their election to office, Türkiye marks the 89th anniversary of the constitutional amendment, with more women in political offices though they are still outnumbered by men.

This Day Live
December 1, 2023
Green Chambers’ Quest for Women Emancipation

Udora Orizu chronicles the noteworthy strides being made by the 10th House of Representatives towards improving women’s political representation and end gender based violence in the country.