After Sunday's (May 6th) elections, more women are expected to take seats in parliament than previously after a push by the country to meet European standards.
If Socialist challenger Francois Hollande wins Sunday's French presidential election as expected, his government would include trusted old hands and as many women as men.
3 May 2012 - MEXICO CITY (AP) — Josefina Vazquez Mota exulted in the explosion of camera flashes as a pumped-up crowd cheered her victory in a bruising three-way race to become the ruling party's presidential candidate and this country's first woman to lead a major ticket.
2 May 2012 - CAIRO: In a male-dominated society, there is a disproportionately small representation of women. In Egypt, women are underrepresented in political and legislative bodies, such as parliament, the judiciary and the Constituent Assembly commissioned to draft the Egyptian constitution.
Quietly and against the odds, women are stepping up the political ladder in Latin America, moving ahead of the United States when it comes to political empowerment and closely matching much of Western Europe.
Hollande has sought to portray himself as a feminist, and recently won the backing of a petition of more than 150 feminists. He has said he will reintroduce a ministry of women's rights and has promised an equal number of women and men in government if he wins. This would be historic.