30% of women in parliaments: Most countries miss goal
Somini Sengupta
|
United Nations
NYT NEWS SERVICE
|
The corridors of the United Nations hummed on Monday as hundreds of men, in polished wingtips and natty ties, arrived here for the annual conclave of lawmakers from around the world.By now, the other half of humanity was to be better represented in their ranks. Yet despite a promise made by world leaders two decades ago to have women make up at least 30% of their national legislatures, most of the world's parliaments remain largely the province of men. The conference at the UN reflected just that. Among 190 countries, only 44 legislatures have met the 30% goal, according to an analysis by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. They include Rwanda (64% of members of its lower houseare women) and Bolivia (53%). The US is not among those that met the target. Among members of the House of Representatives, 19% are women, and in the Senate, the figure is 20%.
In India, the world's most populous democracy , women's representation is even lower: 12 and 12.8%, respectively, in its lower and upper houses. Santi Bai Hanoomanjee, speaker of the national assembly of Mauritius, nudged her male colleagues from around the world to take up the cause in their own countries. “Be advocates for gen der equality ,“ she said in her speech to the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament.
In a draft declaration that had yet to be finalized, the conference of the speakers of parliament agreed to give themselves five more years to reach the 30% target.
The representation of women in parliament does not directly reflect the status of women in that country . In Afghanistan, where measures of women's health, education and well-being are among the worst in the world, 27% of the nation's lower-house lawmakers are female, better than in Australia, where by most standards, women are far better off.
In India, the world's most populous democracy , women's representation is even lower: 12 and 12.8%, respectively, in its lower and upper houses. Santi Bai Hanoomanjee, speaker of the national assembly of Mauritius, nudged her male colleagues from around the world to take up the cause in their own countries. “Be advocates for gen der equality ,“ she said in her speech to the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament.
In a draft declaration that had yet to be finalized, the conference of the speakers of parliament agreed to give themselves five more years to reach the 30% target.
The representation of women in parliament does not directly reflect the status of women in that country . In Afghanistan, where measures of women's health, education and well-being are among the worst in the world, 27% of the nation's lower-house lawmakers are female, better than in Australia, where by most standards, women are far better off.
