The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) – an international organization of parliamentarians – released its annual review of Women in Parliament last week at the United Nations, showing a record number of women winning Parliamentary seats around the world.
Overall, there was a 1.5 percentage increase last year in the number of women holding seats in government worldwide. Rwanda has the most, with women now comprising over 60 percent of its Parliament. Latin America recorded the highest electoral gains, with Ecuador, Grenada, and Argentina now among the 39 countries in the “above-30 percent club,” meaning women comprise over 30 percent of their government.
Unfortunately, almost no progress was reported in Asia and Pacific, and the United States and Canada are way behind. The US ranks 83rd out of the 189 countries surveyed, with women filling only 18.5 percent of seats in Congress [PDF].
“The record-breaking increase of women in national parliaments in 2013 is encouraging, but we are still far from equality,” said current UN Women Executive Director and South African politician, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. “Around the world, women are excluded from parliaments by discrimination, violence, party structures, poverty and a lack of finance.”
Because quotas have been one of the tools successfully used to improve women’s access to political leadership, the IPU report calls for more ambitious and detailed quotas. “Temporary special measures like quotas are working, and UN Women will keep supporting the efforts for women, political parties, governments and civil society to increase women’s political leadership and participation,” Mlambo-Ngcuka added.
Media Resources: United Nations News Centre 3/7/14; Center for American Women and Politics, Women in the US Congress 2014; Inter-Parliamentary Union
