Parliaments & Representatives

Highlighted Resources

Senator Leila de Lima of the Philippines has been stuck in jail since 2017, after opening an investigation into the murders of thousands of alleged drug dealers and users under the Duterte administration. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

For women in politics globally, the job can mean abuse, jail or death

In the early afternoon of May 13, 2020, Joana Mamombe, a member of parliament in Zimbabwe, was seized by security officers after she participated in a pop-up protest, demanding aid for the poor during the Covid pandemic. She and two other rights advocates were accused of violating a lockdown, an...

Africa misses opportunity to promote equality in elections

Women make up more than half of Africa's population, but their representation in politics in the past decade has been insignificant.With a numerical significance of 52 percent against their male counterparts, women are least likely to hold political positions and exercise authority across the...

IPU celebrates 10 years of empowering youth

On 12 August, International Youth Day 2020, the IPU celebrates the 10th anniversary of its resolution, Youth participation in the democratic process.Adopted by IPU Member Parliaments in 2010 in Thailand, the resolution is a call to action to include more young people in political decision-...

Gender equality laws around the world - what can parliaments do?

Watch the third in a series of short videos on the Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality. This video on legislation for gender equality looks at how countries can achieve full gender equality, something that none of them have done until now.This is a partnership video project between...

Violence Against Women: What can parliaments do to protect women?

Watch the fourth in a series of short videos on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This video shares some shocking facts about violence against women and outlines steps that parliaments can take against this scourge.This is a partnership video project between the IPU, Arizona State...

A Primer for Parliamentary Action: Gender-sensitive Responses to COVID-19

This Primer highlights practical ways Members of Parliament (MPs) and parliamentary staff can take action to ensure COVID-19 response and recovery decision-making address women’s needs. It is informed by the differential impacts of the disease on women as documented to date, and the common needs...

Barriers to Women Entering Parliament and Local Government in the United Kingdom

In January 2018, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) commissioned this rapid evidence review, the two broad aims of which were to identify: a) barriers to women’s participation in local and national government; and b) evidence of policies and practices, sometimes referred to as Positive...

Representation Matters: Women in the U.S. Congress

The importance of having women serving in Congress is still not fully appreciated or understood. In order to document women’s contributions to governing and understand how women are navigating the contemporary environment of party polarization, the Center for American Women and Politics, with...

The International Congress of Parliamentary Women's Caucuses adopts the Dublin Declaration

The International Congress of Parliamentary Women's Caucuses took place on 9-10 September 2018 in Dublin Castle, Ireland.The conference brought together parliamentarians from across the globe to discuss issues facing women and how parliamentarians can work to address them. Parliamentarians came...

Women and corruption: What positions must they hold to make a difference?

This paper in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization - Volume 151 examines in what roles women have an impact on corruption by focusing on female labor force participation and their presence in the parliament. Since much of the corruption literature is plagued either by the lack of...

Fawcett Society Report: The Sex and Power Series

The Sex and Power series was first published by the Equal Opportunities Commission fifteen years ago, then taken over by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for several years, and then for 5 years up to 2015 the ‘Counting Women in Coalition’ collected and collated data on women’s...

Women in parliament: Assessing the effectiveness of gender quotas in Poland

Gender quotas aim to increase women’s parliamentary representation. However, the effectiveness of quotas varies. This article explores this issue further by examining the case of Poland, where gender quotas were introduced in 2011. The Polish case presents an interesting puzzle. Although the...