Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Geneva, 18 January 2000
N° 86

The Nordic countries still have the most positive attitude to women in politics. Statistics published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) concerning the number of women in the parliaments of the 55 member countries of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (as at 15 January 2000) show that Sweden (42%), Denmark (37.4%), Finland (37.0%) and Norway (36.4%) still lead the field of countries that have come close to achieving parity between men and women in politics five years after the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing. The figures are not so encouraging elsewhere in Europe where, according to an IPU overview of the situation in national parliaments, governments and political parties, countries still a long way to go before the Beijing Platform for Action is fully implemented.

Women represent about a third of elected representatives in the Netherlands (36.0%), Iceland (34.9%) and Germany (30.9%). It should be noted that, in percentage terms, Bosnia and Herzegovina (28.6%) outdoes Austria (26.8%) and that Turkmenistan (26.0%) is ahead of Belgium (23.3%), Switzerland (22.5%), Monaco (22.2%), Spain (21.6%), Canada (20.6%) and Croatia (20.5%). The proportion of women in the parliaments of the other member countries of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe stands at less than 20%. Constantly updated data for all the world's parliaments are accessible on the IPU's Internet site.

Moreover, the IPU survey entitled “Participation of women in political life: An assessment of developments in national parliaments, political parties, governments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union five years after the Fourth World Conference on Women” (a preliminary version of which was presented at the 102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Berlin in October 1999 but which has just been updated), contains a “snapshot” of the situation of women in government in August 1999.

At that time, only 7 of the world's 190 States had a woman head of State (excluding queens and governors-general) and just 3 were in the proud position of having a woman head of government. On the other hand, over three-quarters of States, many in the so-called Third World, had at least one woman in their government. The annexed table shows which government offices were held by women in August 1999. While confirming that social affairs, employment or health portfolios are more readily entrusted to women than that of defence, it shows that women also hold justice, finance and foreign affairs portfolios, perhaps more frequently than some years ago. It also shows that almost one-quarter of States have a ministry for women's affairs or that covers women's concerns, a sign that more attention is being paid to such issues.

The study shows that, over a period of about five years, there has been virtually no overall increase in the proportion of women in parliaments and governments. As noted by the Secretary General of the IPU, Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, it indicates that attitudes have evolved more rapidly than prevailing conditions and legislation, and this is perhaps what matters most in the final analysis. Moreover, many obstacles still prevent women from becoming involved in politics on an equal footing with men. Under pressure from women, however, a full-scale revolution in politics seems to be under way.

Analysed by Mrs. Geneviève Pascaud-Bécane (a former official of the French Senate), the data compiled in the survey confirm that Sweden is the only State with a Government constituted of an equal number of men and women (55%, 11/20). According to Mrs. Pascaud-Bécane, “it is parties that hold the key to change” and “it is also at the party level that the almost unanimously endorsed principle of equality must be put into practice. These traditionally male bastions now seem concerned to revise their statutes and admit more women to their internal structures and list of candidates, if only to satisfy public opinion which is less and less reluctant to elect women and increasingly keen to change the present cast of players on the political stage”. However, the study shows that, for women, access to party leadership - a critical step along the path leading to parliament and national government - is still a problem in many cases.

The IPU, founded in 1889 and with its headquarters in Geneva, has 139 affiliated national parliaments and 5 associated regional parliamentary assemblies. It promotes partnership between men and women as a cornerstone of democracy. In 1997, it adopted a Universal Declaration on Democracy which states, inter alia, that “The achievement of democracy presupposes a genuine partnership between men and women in the conduct of the affairs of society in which they work in equality and complementarity, drawing mutual enrichment from their differences”.

The IPU statistics and study are being presented to the Regional Preparatory Meeting on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action to be held by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 19 to 21 January 2000. The Meeting will focus on the issue of women in power and decision-making next Thursday (20 January 2000).

Contact: Mrs Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer, tel.: (41.22) 919.41.16 or 919.41.27, fax: (41.22) 733 31 41 or 919 41 60, e-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cd@mail.ipu.org.
The IPU has a Liaison Office with the UN in New York, tel.: (1.212) 557.58.80, fax (1.212) 557.39.54, e-mail: ny-office@ipu.org