Notwithstanding the assertive measures implemented at national and local level and the increase in political participation, women continue being underrepresented in decision-making governmental entities.

While the global parliamentary seats that are occupied by women reached a historic increase of 19.2% in the House of Representatives and a 17.8% in the Senate, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, until April 2010 women’s political representation at high or low governmental levels keeps being considerably lower than men’s level of representation in most countries or world regions.  In the case of women occupying posts at the highest local level, that is at Mayoress level, in Latin America the average is 8%.

The current representation of women is also far from reaching 30%, which is considered the minimum percentage required to ensure a critical mass of women who can influence the decision making processes and political agendas. Notwithstanding global, national and local initiatives and strategies, there is still opposition against women’s progress in power and decision-making positions and in fields that are traditionally controlled by men.

The Gender, Governance and Political Participation Programme of UN WOMEN aims at increasing the participation and the representation of women in public spaces and in political representation systems to strengthen democracies, ensure that women can exercise and enjoy their rights and to eradicate gender discrimination.

Women’s political participation is considered a human right, viewing it in relation to citizenship, democratic systems, electoral systems, decentralization and governance. It is important to encourage in a sustained manner women’s participation and representation in decision-making positions at all levels, either in popular election or designated positions, as the necessary means to construct an equal democracy as well as to improve public management and women’s empowerment.

This participation is analyzed in a globalized context as an economic, political, social and cultural phenomenon made possible by the information and communication technologies. It is a process that has its own characteristics, feasible amongst other aspects by the appearance of women’s networks that go beyond tangible frontiers as well as by new forms of relationships and ways of exercising citizenship.  However, at world level, there are changes in all public institutions throughout the State, and in the ways the State is run.

The Programme has given priority to two particular axes:

Women’s political participation in local governments. This is a complex process that involves the analysis of several factors, such as: (i) national and local electoral systems that guarantee or limit democratic participation, particularly in groups or sectors which have been traditionally excluded; (ii) political parties and their mechanisms for citizens’ representation; (iii) the extent to which the quota is applied; (iv) the ways and levels of women’s organization and their incidence in spaces of political coordination at the local level; (v) gender relations and local culture which most of the time limit women’s political participation since the political representation in public affairs is the responsibility of the “head of the household” (the man) and the domestic sphere is the responsibility of the woman.

Electoral systems from a gender perspective. This axis contributes by providing content to the following questions: In what measure does the electoral system influence women’s political representation and, to what extent is its design related to the effectiveness of the quota system?  Electoral systems are not neutral to gender and their design has a very important effect on the effectiveness of the quotas; they guarantee the political rights of women, particularly those concerning their right to be elected and to remain in their posts during the time for which they were designated.

http://www.un-instraw.org/political-participation/programme-page/