The threats arrive by mail, email, voicemail and social media. Hateful comments are shouted out of a car window or in line at the grocery store. More than ever before, the threats come home, in the form of protests or strangers circling the block.

Australians want to see more women in politics, new research has found. The research - conducted by Women for Election, an organisation which provides support and training to women wanting to enter politics - found 69 per cent of people surveyed agreed more diversity in politics would lead to better outcomes for everyone.

Despite representing more than half the population, women are currently under-represented at all levels of Australian government

Contrary to popular belief, the performance of Women legislators in both Houses remained remarkable and in Parliament’s history they presented a significant number of 133 bills for legislative business in just four years (2018 to 2021).

There are fewer women in politics in the Pacific Islands than in any other part of the world, according to UN Women. But this year Samoa elected a woman as its head of government - only the second Pacific Island nation to do so - thanks in part to a network of women friends who supported her every step of the way.

Female candidates are overrepresented for marginal seats at the next federal election, while safe seats for both major parties remain dominated by males, an analysis by Guardian Australia shows.

While the major parties are yet to finalise all candidates for the forthcoming federal election, an analysis of those preselected so far for parliament’s 35 marginal seats shows that about 60% of the candidates across both major parties are female.

Women are still under-represented in Parliament. Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Rosy Akbar made the remark in her response to President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere’s Parliament opening address. “I emphasise that we, as a people, must take steps to ensure that our women are fully empowered to actively participate in our economy,” Ms Akbar said.

As women's influence in politics grows, so have the threats and coercion they have faced, according to a Rutgers scholar's grim analysis. For her work exploring the nature of violence against women in politics and suggesting ways to prevent it, Rutgers University scholar Mona Lena Krook has won the 2022 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order.