IWDA's partner Live & Learn SI mark International Women's Day photo by Trudy Hairs

Globally, women are a small minority of all political representatives ^[1] .

In national parliaments, the global average was 18 percent as of April 2008. Of the 10 countries that had no women in their national parliament,  six are in the South Pacific ^[2] .

Women’s full participation in decision making processes across all areas of life – social, cultural, civil, political and economic – is critical from the perspectives of human rights, democratic representation, and sound outcomes that reflect the needs, priorities and contributions of women and men. Without the active participation of women and the incorporation of their perspectives at all levels of decision making, the goals of equality, development and peace for humanity cannot be achieved.

Ensuring women’s full, equal and effective participation in decision-making at all levels of political, economic and social life is also one of the most effective ways of improving the status and well-being of women. So a focus on participation simultaneously promotes and protects women’s human rights while ensuring society benefits from the diverse experiences, talents and capabilities of all its members.

1. Krook, M. (2007, Aug) “Gender and Political Institutions: Implementing Quotas for Women in Politics.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association. Online Retrieved 2008-06-10 from www.allacademic.com/meta/p210579_index.html [↩]
2. www.ipu.org/wmn-e/world.htm, www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm. Note Tonga is shown as information unknown but IPU country data lists no women representatives as at April 2008. [↩]