Africa is at least 75 years away from achieving gender parity in its parliaments due to the slow pace of progress in increasing women’s representation, an expert has warned.
Gram Mutenga, regional head of programmes at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), revealed that women’s representation in African legislatures rose by just one percentage point – from 25 to 26 percent – between 2021 and 2024.
“At this rate, it will take Africa until the year 2100 to achieve gender parity in its parliaments. But this assumes a linear progression, which is unlikely given the fact that generally after countries achieve the 30 percent-mark, progress slows down,” Mutenga is quoted as saying by UN Women.
UN Women said Friday that a recent dialogue it jointly organised in Johannesburg with the International IDEA highlighted deep-rooted cultural and religious practices as some of the impediments to the participation of women in politics.
It noted that it is challenging to persuade voters in most African countries about the benefits of electing women into office.
Another challenge women political leaders face is violence, which includes tech-facilitated gender-based violence.
The initiative emphasised strategies such as financial support, mentorship and advocacy to challenge restrictive norms and amplify women’s visibility in leadership roles.
JN/APA