The Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women on March 15, 2017 launched the Women in Politics Map 2017.
Rankings demonstrated the number of women Heads of State or Government fell from 19 to 17 since 2015.
Progress in the number of women in parliament is gradual.
The Women in Politics Map 2017 report was launched alongside the 61
st Commission of Status of Women.
The latter is the largest inter-governmental forum on women's rights and gender equality.
For 2017, the theme is on women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work.
Record of the Highest Number of Women in Parliament| Rank | Country | Percentage of women in Lower House | Percentage of women in Upper House |
|---|
| 1 | Rwanda | 61.3 | 38.5 |
| 2 | Bolivia | 53.1 | 47.2 |
| 3 | Cuba | 48.9 | None |
| 4 | Iceland | 47.6 | None |
| 5 | Nicaragua | 45.7 | None |
| 6 | Sweden | 43.6 | None |
| 7 | Senegal | 42.7 | None |
| 8 | Mexico | 42.6 | 36.7 |
| 9 | Finland | 42.0 | None |
| 10 | South Africa | 42.0 | 35.2 |
The world ranking of women parliamentarians was placed in India at rank 148.
The report states that women constitute 11.8 percent of the LS where 64 were elected to a 542 member house and 11 percent of the RS with 27 of 245 members.
India also attained the rank of 88, when it came to women ministers with the number 5 or 18.5% in the cabinet.
Women hold important positions. Sumitra Mahajan is the Parliament Speaker while Sushma Swaraj is the Union Minister for MEA.
Sumitra Mahajan: Know More- Speaker of the 16th LS.
- Born: 11 April 1943, Chiplun
- Party: Bharatiya Janata Party
- Education: Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya
