Asia and the Pacific

In a bid to connect with women voters, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s women's wing has completed its first objective of setting up units in all the 70 Assembly segments of Delhi, the party has said.

The recent upheaval in Selangor over the post of Menteri Besar (MB) has suddenly led the country to a situation where we might soon be witnessing a major breakthrough for women in politics.

Over the years we have seen women slowly occupy positions in the political arena. Data from the Ministry for Women, Family and Community Development shows that in 2013 women made up only 13.1% of local councillors, 28.8% of senators, 11.3% state legislative assembly members, 10.4% members of parliament and 12.3% of cabinet ministers and deputy ministers.

She is often called the “Iron Lady” of Hong Kong. Anson Chan earned respect serving as Hong Kong’s second-highest official when the British were in charge. And when the colony was handed back to China in 1997, Beijing enlisted Chan to help with that transition.

Across the Pacific less than 5 per cent of parliamentarians are women.

While that figure is much higher in Australa, around 30 per cent, Ms Stott-Despoja says the difficulties faced by women elsewhere in the region are much greater ... such as discrimination and corruption.

She recently led a delegation to Tonga to meet women in politics from around the region and told Karen Barlow it was a big sucess.