Seats held by women in national parliament

What does this indicator tell us?

This is an indicator of gender equality and empowerment of women, and is indicative of SDG 5: "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls". Women's representation in parliaments is one aspect of their opportunities in political and public life, and is therefore linked to women's empowerment.

How is it defined?

The proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments is obtained by dividing the number of parliamentary seats occupied by women by the total number of seats occupied. National parliaments consist of one or two chambers. For international comparisons, generally only the single, or lower, house is considered when calculating the indicator.

What are the implications?

Women are underrepresented in all decision-making bodies and political parties, particularly at the higher echelons. Women still face many practical obstacles to fully exercising their role in political life. Low status restricts women's opportunities and freedom, giving them less interaction with others and fewer opportunities for independent behaviour, restricting the transmission of new knowledge, and damaging their self-esteem and self-expression. It is a particularly important determinant of two resources for care: mothers' physical and mental health, and their autonomy and control over household resources. Low status restricts women's capacity to act in their own and their children's best interests. There is a demonstrated association between women's status and malnutrition in children.

Source of data

United Nations. Global Sustainable Development Goals indicators database (https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/).

Further reading

Smith LC, Haddad L. Explaining child malnutrition in developing countries: a cross-country analysis. Food consumption and nutrition division discussion paper no. 60. Bonn: International Food Policy Research Institute; 1999 (http://www.ifpri.org/publication/explaining-child-malnutrition-developing-countries).