LIU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 38: Pressemeddelelse fra Inter-Parlamentarisk Union (IPU) om den seneste udvikling af kvinders repræsentation i de nationale parlamenter på verdensplan

Ligestillingsudvalget 2023-24
LIU Alm.del Bilag 38
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News Release

Women MPs: Some progress but prominent figures quitting

Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday 5 March 2024. For immediate release.

According to the IPU’s latest

Women in Parliament 2023

report, the global proportion of MPs who

are women has inched up to 26.9%, based on elections and appointments that took place in

2023.

This represents an increase of 0.4 percentage points year on year, a similar growth rate to 2022.

However, the growth is slower than in the preceding years

–

elections in 2021 and 2020 saw an

increase of women MPs of 0.6 percentage points.

Gender issues dominated many of the elections amid a backlash against women’s rights in some

countries. The report also points out that several prominent women have recently left politics,

blaming burnout and threats.

The IPU report is based on parliamentary renewals in 66 chambers in 52 countries in 2023.

Women made up 27.6% of MPs in those newly elected or appointed chambers, an overall

increase of 1.4 percentage points compared with previous polls in the same countries.

Bright spots

There was notable progress in some areas, for example:

•

In the Americas, women accounted for 42.5% of all MPs elected or appointed in chambers

that were renewed in 2023, the highest regional percentage. The region thus maintains

its long-held position as the region with the highest representation of women in the world,

at 35.1%.

Globally, the share of women Speakers of parliament increased to 23.8% (up 1.1

percentage points).

Cambodia and Côte d’Ivoire

elected women Speakers for the first

time.

Well-designed and implemented quotas continue to be a significant factor in increasing

women’s representation. The 43 chambers that had some form of quotas elected 28.8%

women MPs on average, versus 23.2% in countries without.

Sub-Saharan Africa recorded the highest improvement among all regions with an

increase of 3.9 percentage points in 2023 elections compared to previous ballots in the

same countries. The biggest gains were in Benin, Eswatini and Sierra Leone, enabled by

quotas.

Rwanda continues to lead the

IPU world ranking

with women accounting for 61.3% of

seats in the Chamber of Deputies, followed by Cuba and Nicaragua with 55.7% and

53.9% respectively, while Andorra, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates have parity.

•

LIU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 38: Pressemeddelelse fra Inter-Parlamentarisk Union (IPU) om den seneste udvikling af kvinders repræsentation i de nationale parlamenter på verdensplan

Gender issues dominate in some elections

The IPU report notes that gender issues frequently emerged as an important conversation during

elections in 2023,

notably women’s reproductive rights

in countries where abortion remains a

contentious issue.

In the Polish elections, the issue was central after a 2020 court ruling, supported by the

government at the time, which severely restricted access to abortions. The ruling was followed

by massive protests across the country, led by women and young people. The report suggests

that this was one factor which led the ruling party to lose power.

On the flip side, Javier Milei, who promised a referendum to repeal more progressive laws on

abortion that had been put in place in 2020, was elected President of Argentina. Many reports

indicated that he received more support from male voters, especially young men, than female

voters.

Women quitting politics

The IPU report also highlights several high-profile female leaders who left the political arena in

2023, many of whom cited burnout and increasing online harassment as the main reasons for

leaving.

At the beginning of the year, Jacinda Ardern stepped down as Prime Minister of New Zealand

and decided not to stand again for her parliamentary seat. A few months later, Sanna Marin, the

former Prime Minister of Finland who was voted out of power in the April election, also resigned

as an MP and decided to quit politics. Several prominent Dutch women MPs also stepped down.

However, the report highlights that some parliaments are taking measures to make parliaments

safer spaces, including Australia, Benin, Iceland, Ireland and Thailand.

Quotations

Tulia Ackson, President of the IPU and Speaker of the Parliament of Tanzania

“More

women in parliament means more inclusive and representative institutions, which means

stronger and healthier democracies. We need to encourage the young women and girls out there

that,

although it’s a tough job,

they deserve to have a seat at the table, to become decision-

makers and to help improve people’s lives

through their work.”

Cynthia López Castro, President of the IPU Bureau of Women Parliamentarians

“The backlash we are seeing against women’s rights and against women MPs in

all parts of the

world is unacceptable. Women are speaking up and supporting each other, with more male allies

joining the fight against gender-based discrimination and violence. The IPU Forum of Women

Parliamentarians was created decades ago to build solidarity and joint strategies and

that’s

why

we need

it even more today.”

Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the IPU

“We

are seeing some growth and historic firsts for women in parliament this year but we’re also

witnessing some worrying trends. Our data shows that women bear the brunt of the hate in the

LIU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 38: Pressemeddelelse fra Inter-Parlamentarisk Union (IPU) om den seneste udvikling af kvinders repræsentation i de nationale parlamenter på verdensplan

political space, and that trend seems to be exacerbated with the emergence of artificial

intelligence. We must be vigilant and support parliaments as they step up and put in place

measures to become

safe spaces for both women and men.”

***

The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. It was founded more than 130 years

ago as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and

dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 180 national Member Parliaments and

15 regional parliamentary bodies. It promotes democracy and helps parliaments develop into

stronger, younger, greener, more gender-balanced and more innovative institutions. It also

defends the human rights of parliamentarians through a dedicated committee made up of MPs

from around the world.

For more information, contact Thomas Fitzsimons at e-mail: [email protected].