Asia and the Pacific

Despite numerous rules and regulations requiring political parties to promote gender equality, a recent study by the University of Indonesia has found that parties in the country have continued with discriminatory policies against women.

The study found that gender equality remained a non-issue for the country’s major political parties.

For the first time, women will represent 10 percent of the 150 seats of the Saudi Shura, or consultative council, in the coming legislative term, Xinhua reported.

The remarkable thing about the new council - the Saudi verson of parliament - is that in Saudi Arabia's history women are joining as Shura members for the first time, sources told Elaph e-paper.

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had announced in December 2011 that the next Shura Council would include women.

Looking at Park's future presidency from afar without considering its historical and social context, it is rather tempting to celebrate it as a sign of positive social change in the conservative Asian country -- women have finally arrived. Or have they?

South Korea's president-elect Park Geun-Hye is joining a long list of Asian women whose rise to power has, to varying degrees, been founded on the political legacy of a male sibling, father or husband.

Park, who will become the country's first female president in February after her historic election win on Wednesday, is the daughter of former military ruler Park Chung-Hee.

Three days before South Korea elected a woman president, Japanese voters significantly reduced the number of women in parliament. As a result of Sunday’s vote, the new lower house will have 38 women, or 7.9% of all lawmakers in that chamber. That’s down from 54, or 11.3% in the prior session, and even lower than the 43 elected the time before that in 2005. That ended a steady increase in the number of female MPs in the past three campaigns.

Women parliamentarians from both sides of the aisle criticised Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan on Monday over his remarks against reserved seats for women and challenged him to compare his educational credentials with theirs.

Speaking on a point of order, PML-N MNA Anusha Rehman questioned whether Imran or his party had rendered any sacrifice for democracy or brought any legislation to parliament.

Park Geun Hye was elected president of South Korea, becoming the first woman to lead Asia’s fourth- biggest economy more than 30 years after her father’s rule as dictator ended with his assassination.

Park, 60, of the ruling New Frontier Party, defeated main opposition nominee Moon Jae In, 51.6 percent to 48 percent, the biggest margin of victory in 25 years. Stocks and the won were little changed in morning trading.