Question

Why do you think there were so few women members? Do you think it would have been better if there had been more women members?

Answer 1

The world could be a very different place if more women were in charge. You just need to look at what we did on International Day of the Girl last year to see what that world could look like. By persuading leading public figures, including the President of Nepal and the President of the National Assembly of Ecuador, to stand aside for the day, over 300 girls and young women in more than 50 countries were able step into their shoes and call on governments around the world to tear down the barriers that deny millions of them their rights.

I took part myself by supporting a 17 year old girl from Zambia to take my place for the day. It was a humbling experience, and I learned so much from Loveness about her life, her ambitions and about her potential. Across the world, the "takeovers" were a brief but powerful glimpse of the world we want to see. Our aim was to change perceptions about what is possible for young women and girls, and to inspire millions of them around the world to demand that their voices be heard. Our challenge now is to make a future in which every girl has the chance to take up positions of political leadership – for more than just one day.

It’s a big challenge. Things are improving, though progress is slow. The proportion of women in parliaments globally has more than doubled since 1995, but still stood at only 23% in 2016; and while only Haiti, Micronesia, Qatar and Vanuatu have yet to elect any female legislators, just three countries have achieved gender parity in their national parliaments.