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.
(CNN) — Former Afghan lawmaker Mursal Nabizada and her security guard were shot dead her home in Kabul early Sunday morning, according to Kabul police.
More than 50 percent of the U.S. population is female, so it begs the question: Why are we still so underrepresented in politics?
Women make up more than a quarter (28%) of all members of the 118th Congress – the highest percentage in U.S. history and a considerable increase from where things stood even a decade ago.
SARAJEVO, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Bosnia's three-member presidency on Thursday nominated Croat politician Borjana Kristo as the Balkan country's first female prime minister-designate, following a general election in October.
As the country goes to the polls, reforms introduced by hardline president Kais Saied have led to the exclusion of female candidates.
First-term MP Jackie Jarvis and Wanneroo MP Sabine Winton have been elevated to Mark McGowan's WA cabinet.
The motion to establish a women's caucus comprising lawmakers from both Houses of Parliament was approved during the sitting of the House of Representatives today.
UN Women and ESCWA conducted in-depth interviews with seven Lebanese women in politics who were all ‘first’s’ in different ways.
