UNB, Dhaka :
More ambitious measures and stronger political commitment are needed to enhance women’s representation in parliament and keep apace with the significant progress achieved worldwide over the last decade, says the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
IPU’s “Women in Parliament in 2016: The year in review” released ahead of the International Women’s Day that falls on March 8 called for renewed momentum to ensure women’s voices everywhere, including in decision-making processes. As of 1 January 2017, women hold 19.1 per cent of all presiding officer posts in the world, a 3.3-point increase over the figure from January 2015.As in previous years, the report hammers home the point that women’s political empowerment cannot be taken for granted.
The worldwide average of women in national parliaments increased from 22.6 per cent in 2015 to 23.3 per cent by the end of 2016. Ten years ago, women held 16.8 per cent of parliamentary seats in the world – a 6.5 percentage point gain over the last decade. However, the rate of progress has stabilized in recent years, underlining the need for relentless efforts in order to achieve gender balance in politics, according to the review report obtained by UNB from Geneva. As of December 2016, women accounted for at least 30 per cent of the seats in 68 chambers (25% of chambers) and
less than 10 per cent in 44 chambers (16%). Still today, there are no women at all in five chambers. “We must seize the opportunity to build on the successes of recent years because hard-won progress can often be fragile and readily lost, particularly at a time when engaging in politics has become even more challenging,” says IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong.
The IPU Secretary General said parliaments are crucial to ensuring women are among the world’s most high-profile leaders and to strengthening the policies and legislation needed to meet the goal of gender equality and women’s full and equal participation at all levels by 2030. The slight increase in the number of women MPs contrasts with the higher rate of progress for women Speakers of Parliament, which has reached an all-time high, with 53 women heading a parliamentary chamber (out of the 273 posts globally), the report showed.
Women hold now 19.1 per cent of all presiding officer posts in the world, an almost three-per-cent point increase since 2015. The highest gains made by women in parliament in 2016 were in the Pacific, a region not traditionally known for gender-inclusive political leadership.
The regional average of women in parliament increased to 17.4 per cent in 2016 from 15.8 per cent in 2015.
Last year was no exception and elections in Asia were held without any dramatic changes. Women’s representation in parliament increased by 0.5 per cent, from 18.8 per cent in 2015 to 19.3 per cent in 2016.
The Americas remain the region with the highest regional average for women in parliament after recording a 0.9 point increase in 2016, up to 28.1 per cent of parliamentary seats. It showed that quotas allow countries to maintain a relatively stable representation of women in parliament. Where quotas were not in place, substantial setbacks were recorded. The year 2016 showed once again that quotas, as they stand today, are clearly effective in delivering greater numbers of women in politics and ensuring a minimum level of women’s representation in parliament.
However, they do not always extend beyond the so-called “critical mass” of 30 or 35 per cent of women’s seats in parliament, and remain difficult to adopt (last year the only new quota law to be passed was in Liberia) for various reasons. The IPU report also highlights the misogynistic and sexist sentiments that permeate public and private spheres when women claim their space in politics, revealing the extent to which women still struggle every day to be considered legitimate political actors. Efforts must be redoubled to address those factors that deter women from entering politics.
More ambitious measures and stronger political commitment are needed to enhance women’s representation in parliament and keep apace with the significant progress achieved worldwide over the last decade, says the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
IPU’s “Women in Parliament in 2016: The year in review” released ahead of the International Women’s Day that falls on March 8 called for renewed momentum to ensure women’s voices everywhere, including in decision-making processes. As of 1 January 2017, women hold 19.1 per cent of all presiding officer posts in the world, a 3.3-point increase over the figure from January 2015.As in previous years, the report hammers home the point that women’s political empowerment cannot be taken for granted.
The worldwide average of women in national parliaments increased from 22.6 per cent in 2015 to 23.3 per cent by the end of 2016. Ten years ago, women held 16.8 per cent of parliamentary seats in the world – a 6.5 percentage point gain over the last decade. However, the rate of progress has stabilized in recent years, underlining the need for relentless efforts in order to achieve gender balance in politics, according to the review report obtained by UNB from Geneva. As of December 2016, women accounted for at least 30 per cent of the seats in 68 chambers (25% of chambers) and
less than 10 per cent in 44 chambers (16%). Still today, there are no women at all in five chambers. “We must seize the opportunity to build on the successes of recent years because hard-won progress can often be fragile and readily lost, particularly at a time when engaging in politics has become even more challenging,” says IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong.
The IPU Secretary General said parliaments are crucial to ensuring women are among the world’s most high-profile leaders and to strengthening the policies and legislation needed to meet the goal of gender equality and women’s full and equal participation at all levels by 2030. The slight increase in the number of women MPs contrasts with the higher rate of progress for women Speakers of Parliament, which has reached an all-time high, with 53 women heading a parliamentary chamber (out of the 273 posts globally), the report showed.
Women hold now 19.1 per cent of all presiding officer posts in the world, an almost three-per-cent point increase since 2015. The highest gains made by women in parliament in 2016 were in the Pacific, a region not traditionally known for gender-inclusive political leadership.
The regional average of women in parliament increased to 17.4 per cent in 2016 from 15.8 per cent in 2015.
Last year was no exception and elections in Asia were held without any dramatic changes. Women’s representation in parliament increased by 0.5 per cent, from 18.8 per cent in 2015 to 19.3 per cent in 2016.
The Americas remain the region with the highest regional average for women in parliament after recording a 0.9 point increase in 2016, up to 28.1 per cent of parliamentary seats. It showed that quotas allow countries to maintain a relatively stable representation of women in parliament. Where quotas were not in place, substantial setbacks were recorded. The year 2016 showed once again that quotas, as they stand today, are clearly effective in delivering greater numbers of women in politics and ensuring a minimum level of women’s representation in parliament.
However, they do not always extend beyond the so-called “critical mass” of 30 or 35 per cent of women’s seats in parliament, and remain difficult to adopt (last year the only new quota law to be passed was in Liberia) for various reasons. The IPU report also highlights the misogynistic and sexist sentiments that permeate public and private spheres when women claim their space in politics, revealing the extent to which women still struggle every day to be considered legitimate political actors. Efforts must be redoubled to address those factors that deter women from entering politics.
