A new report from the 2025 edition of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women reveals that despite years of advocacy, men continue to outnumber women by more than three to one in political leadership positions worldwide. The findings come at a significant moment—the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which established a global framework for gender equality and women’s rights.
Progress Stalls in Women’s Political Representation
Despite 2024 being considered a “super election year,” progress towards gender equality in politics has reached its slowest pace since 2017. The proportion of women in parliament increased by just 0.3 percentage points to 27.2% compared to last year, while the representation of women in government positions declined by 0.4 percentage points to 22.9%.
“The glacial pace of progress in women’s parliamentary representation, even after a year of significant elections, is alarming,” said IPU President Tulia Ackson. “The global disparity highlights a systemic failure to advance gender equality in politics in some parts of the world.”
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous was even more direct, stating: “Thirty years after the Beijing Declaration, the promise of gender equality in political leadership remains unfulfilled. Progress is not just slow—it is backsliding. We cannot accept a world where half the population is systematically excluded from decision-making.”
Women Leaders Remain the Exception
The data shows that women hold top State positions in just 25 countries globally, with Europe leading with 12 women-headed countries. Despite historic firsts in 2024—including the first directly elected women Presidents in Mexico, Namibia, and North Macedonia—106 countries have still never had a woman leader.
Only nine countries have achieved gender-equal cabinets with 50% or more women holding cabinet positions as heads of ministries. These countries are predominantly European: Nicaragua (64.3%), Finland (61.1%), Iceland and Liechtenstein (60%), Estonia (58.3%), and Andorra, Chile, Spain and the United Kingdom (all at 50%). This represents a decline from 2024, when 15 countries had gender-equal cabinets.
At the other end of the spectrum, nine countries—mostly in Asia and the Pacific—do not have any women serving as Cabinet Ministers, an increase from seven countries in 2024.
Regional Disparities Highlight Global Inequality
The report reveals significant regional disparities in women’s political representation. Europe and North America (31.4%) and Latin America and the Caribbean (30.4%) have the highest proportions of women Cabinet Ministers. In stark contrast, the Pacific Islands (excluding Australia and New Zealand) at 10.2% and Central and Southern Asia at 9% show severe underrepresentation of women in governmental leadership.
The Americas leads with the highest proportion of women MPs (34.5%) and women Speakers of parliament (33.3%), followed by Europe with 31.8% women MPs and 30.4% women Speakers. The Middle East and North Africa region ranks last, with women occupying only 16.7% of parliamentary seats and currently no women serving as Speakers of Parliament.
Gender Bias Persists in Ministerial Portfolios
The allocation of ministerial portfolios continues to reflect traditional gender biases. Women are predominantly assigned to head policy areas concerning gender equality (86.7%), family and children affairs (71.4%), and social inclusion and development (55.6%).
Meanwhile, the most influential policy areas remain largely controlled by men, with women representing only a small percentage of ministers in foreign affairs (17.8%), financial and fiscal affairs (16.4%), home affairs (13.2%), and defense (13.0%).
There are some signs of improvement, with more women taking leadership roles in other important policy portfolios such as culture (35.4%), education (30.6%), and tourism (30.5%), though women remain underrepresented even in these areas.
Some Positive Developments
In what the report describes as “a rare bright spot,” the total number of women Speakers increased to 64 out of 270 positions, reaching 23.7%, up from 22.7% in 2023. Additionally, women Deputy Speakers of Parliament now constitute 32.6% of the total, up from 28.9% in 2023.
Call for Decisive Action
The report comes as a stark reminder of unfulfilled promises as the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which set out the roadmap for gender equality and women’s rights.
IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong emphasised that accelerating progress requires active participation and support from men: “It is our collective responsibility to break down barriers and ensure that women’s voices are equally represented in leadership roles, fostering a more inclusive and robust democracy for all.”
Bahous from UN Women called for concrete action: “We know the solutions: quotas, electoral reforms, and the political will to dismantle systemic barriers. The time for half-measures is over—it is time for governments to act now to ensure women have an equal seat at every table where power is exercised.”
The new IPU-UN Women Women in Politics map was presented during the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the largest UN gathering on gender equality.
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