Women in politics: Shattering the glass ceiling

Michelle Bachelet once said, “If one woman goes into politics, it changes the woman. If many women go into politics, it changes politics.” Reflecting on this, it’s evident that despite over a century of progress since women’s suffrage, their representation across all levels of political decision-making worldwide remains disproportionately low. 

In 2023, women constituted only 26.5 percent of global parliaments, 22.8 percent of cabinet ministers, and a mere 31 countries have a woman at the helm of state or government. The United Nations (UN) estimates that achieving gender parity at the highest echelons of power will not be reached for another 130 years, with legislative representation equality not expected before 2063. Here’s why there are still so few women in political leadership and what we can do about it.