Gender & Elections Resource Unit
ACTIL Gender and Elections center
Somewhere in Africa, an election has taken place or is being planned. This portal is a collection of resources on elections in Africa, giving the spotlight to dimensions of gender. The gender and elections portal consists of a knowledge library & news and analyses on leadership and elections across Africa.
WOMEN IN POLITICS
Facts and figures: Leadership and political participation
Women in parliaments
- Only 22.8 per cent of all national parliamentarians were women as of June 2016, a slow increase from 11.3 per cent in 1995.
- As of September 2016, 10 women are serving as Head of State and 9 are serving as Head of Government.
- Rwanda had the highest number of women parliamentarians worldwide. Women there have won 63.8 per cent of seats in the lower house.
- Globally, there are 38 States in which women account for less than 10 per cent of parliamentarians in single or lower houses, as of June 2016, including 4 chambers with no women at all.