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.

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. 

Across Canada, just one-quarter of our Members of Parliament are women. In many ridings, they’re seen as “sacrificial lambs” running for a party that’s unlikely to win.

Freda Prempeh, Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North Constituency in the Brong Ahafo region has noted with worry that culture is still an obstacle hindering many qualified women to go into politics.

Laura Boldrini, Cecile Kyenge and Emma Bonino are among those doing “far better than men”, Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta said during an interview with television channel Russian 24 ahead of the G20 summit, which gets underway in St Petersburg on Thursday.

Two months after Julia Gillard was ousted, feminist and sociologist Eva Cox looks back on the misogyny debate her time as Australia's prime minister sparked - and whether gender issues are on the election agenda as a result.