With so many different countries, contexts and political entanglements, it’s hard to see why the dial has hardly moved this year.
But there are some universal barriers to women’s political participation.
First, research has shown that there is ambition gender gap, external.
“Women are less likely to wake up and think they would be good in senior management,” said political science professor Rosie Campbell at an audience at King’s College London, external. “They often need to be pushed: “Didn’t you think about being a deputy?”
And the slowdown could mean fewer mentors for future female politicians, says Dr Rachel George, an expert on gender and politics at Stanford University in the US. That way, young women will be “less likely to think they can or should run.”
Once they decide to run for office, women tend to find themselves at a financial disadvantage.
A wealth of research, external found that it is more difficult for women to access political campaign finance or gain the financial freedom to take time off work.
In most societies, women still carry more caregiving responsibilities than men, which can have a negative impact on their constituents’ attitudes, says Dr George.
This is not helped by the fact that few parliaments offer maternity leave, says Karlien Schiele of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). “It scares women away if these policies aren’t implemented,” she says.
