Women have made significant advances in politics over the past few decades, with females having served as the head of state in many prominent countries, including Britain, India, Germany, Pakistan, and others.
Under a new gender quota law introduced in Mauritius, at least one-third of the candidates in local elections must be women. But the adoption of a national quota is not yet on the horizon, even though just 18% of legislators are women and there are only two female cabinet ministers.
For years, Israeli women have been pressured into moving to the rear of public buses serving strictly religious Jews. Now, in confrontations reminiscent of the era of Rosa Parks, women are pushing back.
It was a photograph that shocked the world - an Egyptian military policeman beating a protester in a hijab with sticks and dragging her along the street so that her clothes were torn open.
Young Arab scholars are increasingly interested in gender studies, the report shows, and their projects are as sophisticated as Western gender research in terms of methodology and theory.
The August 2012 elections in Kenya will open doors to massive political participation by women for the first time ever. The new constitution in effect since August 2010 contains a provision that should radically change political representation for women in this East African country.
Taiwan's 13 million voters will decide on a new leader this weekend. And, for the first time, a woman is vying for the presidential seat.
Womens' participation in Taiwan politics is not new, but this is the first time that a woman is vying for the top job.
Quotas for women seem to be the hot thing in the Middle East these days. Libya just announced a 10 percent quota for women in its new election law. Tunisia used a form of quotas to enhance women's participation in its recent election.