women's representation

In anticipation of local government elections, much of the discourse in recent months has challenged the laws put forward by provincial governments under judiciary-induced deadlines, including lukewarm lobbying for the greater inclusion of women at the grass-roots level.

At a seminar hosted by Oxfam, in collaboration with several rights and women advocacy groups, party representatives expressed ambivalence over seats allotted to women in the Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Saudi women will have the chance for the first time next year to vote and run in the municipal elections, but they are possibly facing an uneven playing field.

Solomon Islands Member of Parliament Hon. Milner Tozaka says he supports reserved seats for women in the national parliament and calls on the government to legislate the proposal before parliament dissolves in September 2014.

Mr Tozaka made these remarks at a recent three-day regional consultation on human rights for members of parliament in Auckland, New Zealand on 15–17 January 2014 organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Regional Rights Resource Team (SPC RRRT).

The media plays a crucial role in the political or electoral process. It's the ears and eyes of the public and help mould perceptions. 

People rely on it for information on making decisions on a range of issues such as choosing their political leaders, informing them about their activities, mandate of political campaigns and giving them effective coverage while in office.

Democratic attorney and activist Sandra Fluke has decided against running for retiring Rep. Henry A. Waxman’s congressional seat, instead planning a bid for the state Senate.

Ranked 21st most powerful woman in the world, Helen Clark, 63, New Zealand’s Prime Minister for nine years, and now head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), gives Telegraph journalist Louisa Peacock a masterclass on how women can survive the cut throat world of politics.

Clark is getting ready to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos.

 We invite you to read the full article published February 4, 2013

Women in Politics: It’s about substance, not style

By Sheila Wood, Provincial Chief Financial Officer

As world leaders met on a global stage for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this past week, it wasn’t hard to notice that something was missing. Women make up half of our planet’s population, yet this year only 15% of the attendees at one of the world’s most important gatherings of decision makers and influencers were female.

It’s only been a few days, but already the crutches are getting on Kirsten Gillibrand’s last nerve. A mid-October misstep on the squash court has left the famously energetic senator with a torn calf muscle that prevents her from putting weight on her heel without grimacing.

Seated at a conference table in her Capitol Hill offices, she demonstrates, flexing her foot, clad in a black Toms flat (“The most comfortable shoes I own!”), and gesturing at the large Ace bandage swaddling her right leg.