In a representative democracy, political parties function as a link between state institutions and local grassroots organizations. It is political parties that aggregate interests, present political alternatives and nominate candidates. As such, political parties play an essential role for the advancement of women and the promotion of equality. In this section, you will find information on the role of political parties in promoting women's political participation.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is calling on media organizations to empanel more women for political discussions. This is part of a campaign for increased women’s participation in governance.
Last May, Afghanistan’s upper house of parliament quietly removed an electoral law that stipulated that a quarter of all provincial council seats should be allotted to women. When women politicians found out nearly a month later, they fought to have the bill recalled.
The Lib Dems could introduce positive discrimination to redress the party's gender and ethnic imbalance, one of its cabinet ministers has said.
Progressive groups unveiled a major initiative on Wednesday to draw attention to challenges that women still face and to promote public policies to address gender disparities.
The emergence of three female Democrats as competitive Senate candidates has party activists optimistic the 2014 election cycle will end with a record number of women in the upper chamber.
Former Education Minister Sarah Teather's decision to stand at the next general election highlighted a long-running problem for the Liberal Democrats.
The party only has seven women MPs, and five of those are in the party's 12 most vulnerable seats.
In the year that New Zealand marks 120 years since women won the vote, the number of women vying for local body seats is stagnating.
A poor record on female representation means Zambia lags behind other sub-Saharan African countries. Extravagant electoral campaigns may be to blame.
Russia is known for being a patriarchal country, but despite considerable barriers, some women leaders have managed to reach high levels in the political hierarchy.