Role of women in society

It was just fifteen years ago that one woman dazzled the Anambra political establishment to its foundations. Mrs. Joy Emodi, the young, beautiful and articulate lawyer who had won recognition on account of her political prowess was set to upturn the apple cart in the 1998 governorship election having become the most formidable candidate on ground.

The court has also ordered the ECP to withhold the notification of results from these constituencies till re-polling is completed.

Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, may have pledged to promote women's rights and recently nominated a female vice president. But, if a striking image captured during Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif's introduction is any indication, Iran still has a long way to go when it comes to gender equality.

In the photo taken earlier this month, female journalists sit on the floor and take notes during the inauguration. They are surrounded by men, many of whom are seated in chairs.

Women aren't running for office because barriers to entry too high

Since the 1980s, more women have registered to vote than men. In the 2012 election, 7.8 million more women cast ballots than men. Women are more engaged in politics than their male counterparts in a lot of ways. But when it comes to actually making the laws, women are sitting on the sidelines, making up just 18 percent of Congress.

Quotas should be introduced to increase the numbers of women in parliament and public life to address the "dire" gender balance in Westminster, authors have told the Edinburgh international book festival.

Kamila Shamsie, the novelist, and Kate Mosse, the author and founder of the Women's Prize for Fiction, argued that quotas for women in parliament, though according to Mosse "a blunt tool", could "effect real change".