After mega-election year, growth of women in power grinds to near-halt

With so many different countries, contexts and political intricacies at play it is hard to define why the dial hardly shifted this year.

But there are some universal barriers to women’s participation in politics.

Firstly, research has shown there is an ambition gender gap, external.

“Women are less likely to wake up and think they would be good in senior leadership,” professor of politics Rosie Campbell told an audience at King’s College, London, external. “They often need to be nudged: ‘Have you thought about being an MP?'”

And a slow-down could mean fewer mentors for future female politicians, says Dr Rachel George, an expert on gender and politics at Stanford University in the US. So young women would be “less likely to think that they can, or should, run”.

Once they do decide to run for office, women tend to be at a disadvantage financially.

A wealth of research, external has found it is harder for women to access funding for a political campaign or to have the financial freedom to take time off work.

In most societies, women still have more caring responsibilities than men – which can negatively affect how they are viewed by voters, says Dr George.

This is not helped by the fact that few parliaments offer maternity leave, says Carlien Scheele from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). “It puts women off if those policies are not in place,” she says.