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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.

World News

Nicola Sturgeon says social media abuse putting women off political career

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Nicola Sturgeon says social media abuse putting women off political career

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Nicola Sturgeon has opened up about the challenges of being a woman in politics and warned social media abuse is starting to put women off.

Speaking at the Hay Festival in Hay-On-Wye, Wales, on Friday, the first minister shared some of the double standards she has faced in her political career.

In the interview by BBC journalist Katya Adler, Ms Sturgeon said social media has made it easier for trolls to abuse female politicians.

Nicola Sturgeon has opened up about the challenges of being a woman in politics and warned social media abuse is starting to put women off.

Speaking at the Hay Festival in Hay-On-Wye, Wales, on Friday, the first minister shared some of the double standards she has faced in her political career.

In the interview by BBC journalist Katya Adler, Ms Sturgeon said social media has made it easier for trolls to abuse female politicians.

How autocrats use women’s rights to boost themselves

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June 8, 2022

How autocrats use women’s rights to boost themselves

Automatically bundling equality and democracy has led to the rise of “genderwashing”.

Automatically bundling equality and democracy has led to the rise of “genderwashing”.

Interviews

World News

Pakistan: NCSW holds consultation on women participation in elections

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Pakistan: NCSW holds consultation on women participation in elections

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Islamabad: Women have been considered as a passive vote bank and political parties tend to use them mostly for representative functions at public gathering, meetings and campaigns.

This was stated by Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Nilofar Bakhiar at a consultative meeting on women's effective participation in the political process organised by the Commission on Monday.

Islamabad: Women have been considered as a passive vote bank and political parties tend to use them mostly for representative functions at public gathering, meetings and campaigns.

This was stated by Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Nilofar Bakhiar at a consultative meeting on women's effective participation in the political process organised by the Commission on Monday.

How local female politicians are keeping Tunisian democracy alive

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June 7, 2022

How local female politicians are keeping Tunisian democracy alive

President Kaïs Saïed is in the process of wiping out hard-won democratic rights in Tunisia.

President Kaïs Saïed is in the process of wiping out hard-won democratic rights in Tunisia.

Are large donor networks still needed to win in a fairer election system?

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June 3, 2022

Are large donor networks still needed to win in a fairer election system?

Chan is a research associate at RepresentWomen with a focus on ranked-choice voting.

Chan is a research associate at RepresentWomen with a focus on ranked-choice voting.

World News

Liberia: Weah’s CDC adopts 40% women quota

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Liberia: Weah’s CDC adopts 40% women quota

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The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) of President George Weah has adopted a resolution that would force the party to have more women in leadership positions.

The party, which is celebrating its 17th anniversary, reached a general consensus on the long-sought measure —  that has now been claimed as an enshrined policy decision for all of its internal and external democratic processes. 

The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) of President George Weah has adopted a resolution that would force the party to have more women in leadership positions.

The party, which is celebrating its 17th anniversary, reached a general consensus on the long-sought measure —  that has now been claimed as an enshrined policy decision for all of its internal and external democratic processes. 

Australia: Our new parliament will have record numbers of women – will this finally make it a safe place to work?

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June 3, 2022

Australia: Our new parliament will have record numbers of women – will this finally make it a safe place to work?

The 2022 federal election was a win for women candidates, and a historic moment in Australia’s journey towards a parliament that truly endorses and promotes gender equali

The 2022 federal election was a win for women candidates, and a historic moment in Australia’s journey towards a parliament that truly endorses and promotes gender equali

World News

Australia's new prime minister appoints a record 10 women to his Cabinet

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Australia's new prime minister appoints a record 10 women to his Cabinet

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Australia's new government will look more like its country, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has named a record 10 women to his incoming Cabinet. The high-profile appointments include Penny Wong as foreign minister, Claire O'Neil as home affairs and cyber security minister, and Katy Gallagher as finance minister.

Australia's new government will look more like its country, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has named a record 10 women to his incoming Cabinet. The high-profile appointments include Penny Wong as foreign minister, Claire O'Neil as home affairs and cyber security minister, and Katy Gallagher as finance minister.