Women in politics are treated differently. To be a good politician, you have to be capable of getting on with the job in the face of criticism. But I am deeply worried that the level of gender-based attacks female politicians have been subjected to in recent years sets the bar too high for women to want to participate in government.

We invite our users to read the full article published September 16 2013

Politician and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once said, “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.”

Fictional "Parks and Recreation" politician Leslie Knope once said, “Maybe it’s time for more women to be in charge.” And then probably said something about waffles.

While perhaps the real-world influence of these two women is disparate (one a fictional television character, the other a diplomat who has traveled to and managed relations in over 112 countries), the messages of both ring true.

Rwandans will vote next week in parliamentary elections set to bring women to the forefront. Rwanda has the world’s highest proportion of female political representatives and it’s an achievement women are determined to build on.

Marie Médiatrice Izabiliza carefully lays the table in her family home in the Kabuga neighbourhood outside the Rwandan capital of Kigali, setting down china cups, teapot and fruit before settling down to talk.

A new study shows that women are less likely than men to participate in political corruption, but only in countries where corruption is stigmatized.

Researchers from Rice University in Houston found that women are less tolerant of corrupt behavior, but only in democratic governments, where political corruption is typically punished — either by the courts or by voters.

“The relationship between gender and corruption appears to depend on context,” said Justin Esarey, Ph.D., an assistant professor of political science and the study’s lead author.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Friday stressed equal participation of women alongside men in political decision making as this only could help achieve the real development and progress of a nation.

“In Bangladesh, we celebrate empowerment of women Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman envisioned a Bangladesh where women would have equal rights as men. This legacy has inspired me to carry on the work in ensuring that all genders enjoy equal rights. Only this can help achieve real development and progress of a nation,” she said.

Geneva, 11 September 2013 – Countries around the world are too often stifling political opposition instead of embracing it as a tangible and natural sign of a healthy democracy, says the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) ahead of International Day of Democracy on 15 September.

The woman who helped launch the beginning of the end of Bob Filner's mayoral careeris now being recognized as a "Woman of Courage".

That salute to Donna Frye's courage and civic activism comes from Run Women Run -- an influential, nonpartisan political action committee that promotes women in electoral politics.

In an interview Wednesday with NBC 7, Frye ruled out questions and discussion about the many women she urged to come forward with sexual allegations against Filner.

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.

Women make up only 13 percent of deputies in the Russian State Duma (61 seats out of 450, following the 2012 national elections), and at the federal level, their representation is even lower - at 6 percent.

A UN study of 10,000 men in Asia and the Pacific, released today, found that overall nearly half of those men interviewed reported using physical and/or sexual violence against a female partner, ranging from 26 percent to 80 percent across the sites studied.  Nearly a quarter of men interviewed reported perpetrating rape against a woman or girl, ranging from 10 percent to 62 percent across the sites.