A Record High For Women in Parliament
A Record High For Women in Parliament
April 2009 – According to the latest analysis undertaken by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a record number of women now hold seats in parliament following elections and renewals that took place in 54 countries in 2008. On average, women hold 18.3% of the seats across all chambers of parliament. This represents a 60% increase in the number of women parliamentarians since 1995. Also, for the first time, 15% of parliamentary chambers in 32 countries have reached 30% or more women members.
At the other end of the spectrum, however, one quarter of all parliamentary chambers have less than 10% women members. According to IPUs publication Equality in Politics, the greatest obstacles to women’s entry into politics are prejudice and cultural perceptions about the role of women, together with a lack of financial resources. Yet, once they do become involved, women bring different views, talents and perspectives to politics.