There's something missing from our political offices, and the answer is in the hormones. We need more estrogen.

Despite having successful female examples at the national level such as Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and Nancy Pelosi, the number of women in political office is staggeringly low. According to a 2013 study by the Center for American Women and Politics, women comprise only 18.3% of Congress; in other words, they hold only 98 of the 535 seats.

Seven local women announced the formation of the Institute for Women in Politics of Northwest Florida Inc. The nonprofit corporation will “provide ... training resources and counseling services to promote and fulfill the vital need for women to serve at all levels of government in the Florida counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa". Former Pensacola City Councilor Diane Mack is the organization’s first president. 

A haredi woman running for the new Ometz Lev party in Jerusalem’s municipal elections has received anonymous threats demanding that she withdraw her candidacy.

Masada Porat, founder of a Web portal for women called Womenet, has been given the party’s sixth slot on its electoral list in the October 22 elections for the Jerusalem City Council.

In the past two days she and her husband have received numerous threatening phone threats with the anonymous callers demanding she step away from the political campaign.

On a sunny day in early May, in Ndu, northwest Cameroon, a group of women, many of whom have taken the day off from work on their farms, are evaluating the performance of an aspiring politician. One suggests smiling more, another that the candidate project her voice more and not look at her feet while talking.The women are here in the Bishop Shanahan Centre to improve their public-speaking skills and learn more about electoral procedures.

Nova Peris has become the first Indigenous woman to be elected to the Federal Parliament. The Olympic hockey gold medal winner will take a place in the Senate representing the Northern Territory for Labor. She gave her victory speech immediately after Luke Gosling conceded in the Darwin-based Lower House seat of Solomon.