Parliaments & Representatives
As part of the IPU series 'A conversation with...', we interview parliamentarians from all over the world to find out who they represent and what motivates them.
In this edition, we discover Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka, a Senator from Poland and a member of the IPU's Executive Committee.
Click here to listen the full conversation published by the IPU on 25 April 2024.
.
According to the U.S. Census, the majority of Americans are women, yet only 31% of Wisconsin State legislators are women. According to the Pew Research Center, there were 1 million fewer men enrolled in college than women this past winter. Yet women earn $0.84 for every dollar earned by a man.
The implications of changing gender roles, which seemingly should empower women, do nothing to counteract America’s structural and ideological underpinnings of women. As a young woman in university studying politics, I am inspired by women who hold political office, but it becomes obvious that female candidates must prove themselves to a further extent than male candidates.
Oppressive ideology, as well as the perception of women within our society, exemplifies that a woman must jump impossible hurdles to be America’s president. These hurdles are deeply rooted in American ideology and the policies that uphold a discrepancy of power between men and women.
Read here the full article published by The Cap Times on 23 April 2024.
Image by The Cap Times
.
In this on-the-record briefing, Professor O’Brien discusses gender and politics. She also speaks about the impact of electing more women, the importance of women’s representation in the political and economic decision-making process, if the number of women running for office globally are increasing or decreasing, and gender differences in voter turnout.
Diana O’Brien is the Bela Kornitzer Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis. Her teaching focuses on the causes and consequences of women’s political representation across the globe. Her areas of study are gender and political parties, legislative politics, executive branch politics, and citizens responses to women’s presence in politics.
MODERATOR: Hello and welcome to the Washington Foreign Press Center’s virtual briefing on Women in Politics. My name is Doris Robinson and I am the briefing moderator. Our briefer today is Diana O’Brien; she is the Bela Kornitzer Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research and teaching focus on the – focuses on the causes and consequences of women’s political representation in high-income democracies, including Western Europe and the United States, as well as across the globe. Her areas of study are gender and political parties, legislative and executive branch politics, as well as citizen responses to women’s presence in politics.
And now for the ground rules. This briefing is on the record. We will post the transcript and a video of the briefing later today on our website at fpc.state.gov. And a quick reminder, please make sure that your Zoom profile has your name and media outlet that you represent. And finally, before Professor O’Brien makes opening remarks, just a quick reminder that she is an independent subject matter expert and the views expressed by briefers not affiliated with the Department of State are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Government. Their participation in FPC programming does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation of their views.
And with that, I will now invite Professor O’Brien to provide opening remarks. Over to you.
Read here the full briefing published by the USA Department of State on 16 April 2024.
Image by USA Department of State
A historic law, the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, mandates the reservation of one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for women.
In 2023, a historic law was passed to usher more women in governance. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, mandates the reservation of one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for women. But representation in leadership isn’t the only sign of gender parity in politics — active participation of the women electorate is also paramount.
So, how has India fared in both regards so far? India Today’s Data Intelligence Unit analysed the turnout data from 1962 to 2019 and candidates’ data from 1957 to 2019 and found a mostly positive trend.
TURNOUT GAP NARROWED
In 1962, men's turnout stood at 63.3 per cent, while women's turnout was notably lower at 46.6 per cent, indicating a considerable gap of 16.7 per cent. This gap fluctuated over the subsequent decades but generally narrowed. For instance, in 2014, men's turnout was 67.1 per cent, while women's turnout increased substantially to 65.6 per cent, resulting in a smaller gap of 1.5 per cent.
Read here the full article published by India Today on 13 April 2024.
Image source: India Today
Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA Kenya) is engaging with the female leaders and citizens, to enlighten and make them understand their role in the democratic process and also for the women leaders to have the courage to interact with the public and take up political leadership.
The ongoing town hall meetings bring together FIDA, women leaders and grassroots women to interact and discuss the role of the citizens when it comes to promoting women in political participation.
FIDA Kenya programme Officer Virginia Kibunja, speaking in a meeting in Kirinyaga West Sub-County, said with support from other partners such as USAID and ElGIA, they have initiated a project that works towards eliminating the barriers that hinder the participation of women in politics.
“So today we are here to understand what is Kirinyaga doing in terms of promoting women in political participation, and what barriers are they experiencing, and how best they can be solved in order to increase the number of women joining political leadership in this region,” Ms Kibunja said.
Read here the full article published by the Kenya News on 8 April 2024.
Image source: Kenya News
On the eve of India’s independence on August 14th, 1947, a momentous gathering filled the parliament gallery, eagerly awaiting Jawaharlal Nehru’s iconic address, his famous Tryst with Destiny Speech.
However, the session commenced with Sucheta Kripalani, a revered freedom fighter and later India’s first woman Chief Minister, singing the patriotic anthem “Vande Mataram” to set the stage for the historic occasion.
Why are we discussing her today? Because since India gained independence, significant progress has been made, including the rise of women leaders, chief ministers, and even a woman Prime Minister.
However, despite these advancements, women’s representation in politics still lags behind. While women dominate local bodies at the grassroots level, the question remains: what about leadership positions at the highest levels?
Read here the full article published by Mahabahu on 5 April 2024.
Image source: Mahabahu
Women’s Collective Ireland – Limerick are delighted to launch their new report Addressing Sexism in Politics: Creating Safe, Inclusive and Accessible Political Spaces for Everyday Women, this report is a collaboration between Women’s Collective Ireland – Limerick and TUS research group EDGE.
Since 2019, WCI Limerick has been working specifically to strengthen and increase women’s participation and representation in local politics. In that time, they have worked with over 150 women and were instrumental in the establishment of the Limerick Women’s Caucus, the first of its kind a local level in the country. This work and the feedback they have been receiving from women led them to draft this report.
Click here to read the full report published by the Women's Collective Ireland – Limerick on 17 October 2023.
Independent states in the Pacific region have the lowest levels of women’s political representation in the world. Fewer than seven percent of Pacific politicians are women, compared to 27 percent globally. The absence of women’s voices in political decision-making has been an issue consistently raised in regional forums, although progress has been slow. Yet in November 2022, a milestone was reached: for the first time, there was at least one elected woman in every Pacific parliament.
Click here to read the full article published by the Australian Institute of International Affairs on 17 October 2023.
The publication represents the findings of a national survey on the violence against women in politics in Georgia, gathering women’s experiences in politics in Georgia. Namely, it examines the factors that facilitate and obstruct women’s engagement in politics, including the forms of violence against women in politics, women’s experiences with seeking support, and the impact of violence on women’s concentration in politics and leadership.
Click here to read the full article published by the EU Neighbours on 4 October 2023.
As women’s representation in U.S. politics has grown, 53% of Americans say there are still too few women in high political office in the United States, and many see significant obstacles for women candidates. Our 2023 report on women leaders in politics explores Americans’ views about gender and political leadership, as well as views about the barriers women face.
Click here to read the full article published by the Pew Research Center on 27 September 2023.
Women and girls constitute more than half of Moldova’s population, yet they are under-represented in the bodies that make key decisions affecting their lives. Although Moldova committed to supporting the increase of women’s political participation by adopting in 2016 the 40% gender quota and by the nationalization of SDGs on gender equality, women remain under-represented in political and public leadership. Specifically, 2019 local elections contributed less to 22% women as mayors, 28.73% women district councilors and 36.5% women local councilors.
Click here to read the full report published by UN Women Moldova on 8 September 2023.
In August 2013, RepresentWomen launched the Gender Parity Index (GPI) to help researchers and advocates track progress toward gender-balanced governance and identify opportunities for increasing women’s political representation in the U.S. Each year, we assign all 50 states a Gender Parity Score, letter grade, and ranking according to their proximity to parity. One of the key takeaways from this exercise is that progress toward gender balance is slower and less stable than it first appears.
Click here to read the full report published by RepresentWomen on 7 August 2023.