Female representation in world parliaments lost pace and benchmarks in 2023

In 2023, the proportion of women parliamentary membership grew only 0.4% globally, standing at 26.9%, the lowest increase in the last six years, also accompanied by the resignations of several high-level leaders, according to a report published this Tuesday by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

The report “Women in parliament 2023” The departure from the political sphere of several parliamentarians stands out, some of whom cited weariness or increasing harassment on the Internet as the main reasons for their resignation, including the former New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

“Our data indicates that women bear the brunt of hate in the political space and that trend appears to be exacerbated with the rise of artificial intelligence”comments IPU General Secretary Martin Chungong in the report.

In the 52 countries where parliamentary elections were held last year that led to the renewal of 62 legislative chambers, women’s representation only increased by one 1.4% compared to previous elections held in the same countries, according to the results obtained.

Regional trends

At the regional level, the data varies, with America having the highest proportion of female parliamentarians. (35.1%), followed by Europe (31.6%) and sub-Saharan Africa (27.3%).

Below the world average are the Pacific region (22.5%), Asia (21.4%) and Middle East and North Africa (16.5%).

The UI recognized a change “encouraging” in the electoral trends of Ecuador, where 59 women were elected parliamentarians in 2023, which was an increase 5.1% of female representation, reaching a 43.1% in front of 38% from the previous 2019 elections.

The report also highlights the situation in Paraguay, where female representation increased in both houses of parliament, with a 24.4% of the seats in the Senate (upper house) occupied by women and a 22.5% of those of the Chamber of Deputies (lower house).

In contrast, the results point to the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda as a case “atypical” of the Americas and the Caribbean region, since the representation of women in its parliament and, especially in the lower house, has remained far below compared to other countries in this area.

Meanwhile, in Europe, where elections were held to 21 chambers in 17 countries, the IPU registered a slight increase in 1.2% in the proportion of women parliamentarians (31.9%).

Abandonment, a worrying trend

One of the global trends that most concerned the IPU this year was the decision taken by several female leaders to resign from their roles and abandon politics altogether.

According to the report, the main reasons were wear and tear due to the Covid-19 pandemic or conflicts such as the one in Ukraine; and having been victims of violence or personal attacks.

In this sense, the report points out that harassment against women with political positions “it’s not something new” and that is adapting to new forms and scenarios, such as the digital world.

Furthermore, the results also warn of the increase in sexual violence against women in politics, with cases such as that of French senator Joel Guerriau, against whom an investigation was opened for allegedly drugging his counterpart Sandrine Josso, in an alleged attempt to sexually assault her.