Billed as “democracy’s biggest test,” 2024 is a major election year with billions of citizens casting their votes. But commitments to gender equality in politics are falling short in some parts of the world.
While there have been historic moments, such as the election of Mexico’s first female president Claudia Sheinbaum in June and Kamala Harris’ bid to become the first female president of the United States, elections in Indonesia, India, the United Kingdom, Pakistan and South Africa had no female frontrunners.
The picture isn’t much better in houses of parliament around the world. The percentage of women in legislatures globally stood at 26.9 per cent on average on June 1, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an independent organisation promoting democracy.
At the current rate, it will take 130 years before gender equality is reached in the highest positions of power, according to the United Nations.
So why are so few women running for office, why does it matter and what is being done about it?
Which countries lead the way and which lag behind?
Data shows that the number of women in political leadership roles, both in government and parliament, has improved over the past decade, but some regions such as the Middle East and North Africa lag far behind.
Europe had the highest proportion of female politicians, followed by Africa, South America and the Caribbean, according to UN Women, a United Nations entity working towards gender equality.
Ranking lowest for women’s representation were Central and Southern Asia and the Pacific Islands, excluding Australia and New Zealand.
Exceptions in these regions include Rwanda, Cuba and Nicaragua, which have more women than men in parliament. A notable breakthrough came in the UK following the July general election when women were elected to 263 of the 650 seats, accounting for 40 per cent of members of parliament.
Cabinet positions are still dominated by men, with just 23 per cent of ministries headed by women globally, according to UN data. Only 15 countries had gender-equal cabinets: 10 in Europe, three in Latin America and two in sub-Saharan Africa.
Slow progress at the government level means that gender parity in cabinets won’t be reached before 2077, according to the UN
Beyond the data, the portfolios awarded to women are often limited to gender equality, family and children affairs, while they rarely take charge of defence or economic policymaking, which mirrors discriminatory gender roles in many societies, experts have said.
Why do we need more women in politics?
Underrepresentation of women in politics creates a democratic deficit, where half of the population are consistently under-represented in positions of power, according to political scientists.
They also say women’s involvement affects which issues are raised. Women tend to push for policies such as paid leave, childcare and prosecution of domestic violence.
Gender equality campaigners say that increasing the number of women in power could slowly shift public attitudes by breaking down negative gender stereotypes and providing role models to inspire political activism among young women.
What stops women from running for office?
Across the world, women face many obstacles to participating in politics including unequal access to funding and political networks, greater family responsibilities, male-dominated political cultures and gender stereotyping.
Discrimination also takes the form of violence and threats, which deter many women from entering politics, forcing them to choose between professional ambition and personal security.
Female politicians have also been targeted for abuse using new technology, such as AI deepfake porn, which can use artificial intelligence to strip clothes or create fake nude images. Such abuse is often aimed at undermining a politician’s credibility.
What can boost women’s participation?
The adoption of well-designed quotas plays an important role in improving women’s participation, according to the IPU, with more than 130 countries modifying constitutions, laws or party rules to require female candidates.
In 2023, lawmakers in India’s upper house of parliament guaranteed 33 per cent of seats would be reserved for women in the lower house and state assemblies in a bid to improve gender equality in the corridors of power, with implementation expected by 2027.
Another structural shift would involve changing electoral systems. Proportional representation, in which parties or individuals win seats based on the number of votes they receive, returns more female politicians than majority systems, according to the IPU.
Country leaders can play a big role by selecting gender-equal cabinets and giving women portfolios across different policy areas.
In Finland, women are in charge of the justice and foreign affairs ministries, while in Spain women lead on financial affairs and defence. The UK appointed its first female finance minister, Rachel Reeves, after the July election.
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