Skip to main content

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.

World News

Nigeria: Only 5% of women in political offices – APC women leader

Submitted by Editor on
Back

Nigeria: Only 5% of women in political offices – APC women leader

Source:

The National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Mary Idele Alile, has said that only 6 per cent of women in Nigeria hold political office.

Dr Mary made the statement during her speech at the launch of “Project 774 Explode: Enhancing Gender Space in Politics” in Sokoto over the weekend.

Print article
Daily Trust

The National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Mary Idele Alile, has said that only 6 per cent of women in Nigeria hold political office.

Dr Mary made the statement during her speech at the launch of “Project 774 Explode: Enhancing Gender Space in Politics” in Sokoto over the weekend.

World News

Roberta Metsola reelected European Parliament president

Submitted by Editor on
Back

Roberta Metsola reelected European Parliament president

Source:

STRASBOURG — Roberta Metsola has been reelected as president of the European Parliament.  

First elected to the post in January 2022, the Maltese European People’s Party (EPP) politician will remain in the role for 2.5 more years after gathering the support of a majority of the newly elected 720 members of the European Parliament, with 562 votes in her favor.

Print article
Politico

STRASBOURG — Roberta Metsola has been reelected as president of the European Parliament.  

First elected to the post in January 2022, the Maltese European People’s Party (EPP) politician will remain in the role for 2.5 more years after gathering the support of a majority of the newly elected 720 members of the European Parliament, with 562 votes in her favor.

World News

UK: Slow progress as women finally make up 40% of Parliament

Submitted by Editor on
Back

UK: Slow progress as women finally make up 40% of Parliament

Source:

Last week saw a change of Government and a brand-new cohort of MPs (335 new MPs) elected; but with all this churn how representative is our new House of Commons? Before the election we published analysis of the candidates standing for election showing that only 31% of selected candidates were women. Let’s see how many were elected…

Print article
Electoral Reform Society

Last week saw a change of Government and a brand-new cohort of MPs (335 new MPs) elected; but with all this churn how representative is our new House of Commons? Before the election we published analysis of the candidates standing for election showing that only 31% of selected candidates were women. Let’s see how many were elected…

World News

Age, gender, profession: Who are France's new members of Parliament?

Submitted by Editor on
Back

Age, gender, profession: Who are France's new members of Parliament?

Source:

Only 208 women will sit in the Assemblée Nationale, representing just over a third of all MPs. This is the second time in two years that the proportion of women in the Assemblée has fallen.

Print article
Le Monde

Only 208 women will sit in the Assemblée Nationale, representing just over a third of all MPs. This is the second time in two years that the proportion of women in the Assemblée has fallen.

World News

Going for gold: Meet five Olympic parliamentarians

Submitted by Editor on
Back

Going for gold: Meet five Olympic parliamentarians

Source:

Excelling as a world-class athlete and performing parliamentary work both require determination, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence. As we count down to the Paris 2024 Olympics, let's meet five trailblazers who succeeded in both arenas.

  1. Sebastian Coe - United Kingdom

  2. Matthew John Cowdrey – Australia

  3. Nancy Greene – Canada

  4. Nawal El Moutawakel – Morocco

Print article
IPU

Excelling as a world-class athlete and performing parliamentary work both require determination, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence. As we count down to the Paris 2024 Olympics, let's meet five trailblazers who succeeded in both arenas.

  1. Sebastian Coe - United Kingdom

  2. Matthew John Cowdrey – Australia

  3. Nancy Greene – Canada

  4. Nawal El Moutawakel – Morocco

World News

Gender equality highs and lows: A tale of two parliamentary elections

Submitted by Editor on
Back

Gender equality highs and lows: A tale of two parliamentary elections

Source:

Following an intense week of elections, the IPU’s two founding members, France and the United Kingdom, have just completed their parliamentary elections.

How have both parliaments fared in terms of gender equality? How do they compare to previous chambers and the IPU’s global average of women in parliament which stood at 26.9% before these latest elections?

Print article
IPU

Following an intense week of elections, the IPU’s two founding members, France and the United Kingdom, have just completed their parliamentary elections.

How have both parliaments fared in terms of gender equality? How do they compare to previous chambers and the IPU’s global average of women in parliament which stood at 26.9% before these latest elections?

Partisanship, Independence, and the Constitutive Representation of Women in the Canadian Senate

Back
July 9, 2024

Partisanship, Independence, and the Constitutive Representation of Women in the Canadian Senate

This article investigates legislators’ willingness to talk about gender and women during policy making discussions, asking whether it is conditional on their sex or partisanship in environments where party discipline does not constrain their speech.

Print article

This article investigates legislators’ willingness to talk about gender and women during policy making discussions, asking whether it is conditional on their sex or partisanship in environments where party discipline does not constrain their speech.

Gender parity in Pakistani politics: progress and roadblocks

Back
July 8, 2024

Gender parity in Pakistani politics: progress and roadblocks

Gender equality in politics has faced both notable achievements and enduring obstacles in Pakistan, a nation with a multifaceted sociopolitical environment. It is believed that a democratic society must prioritize gender equality in politics.

Print article

Gender equality in politics has faced both notable achievements and enduring obstacles in Pakistan, a nation with a multifaceted sociopolitical environment. It is believed that a democratic society must prioritize gender equality in politics.

Subscribe to Parliaments and Representatives