Kamala Harris loss to Trump ends year of few vote gains for women

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• Gender equality pledges fall short in some countries
• Percentage of women in parliament only around 27% globally
• Experts say underrepresentation creates democratic deficit

BRUSSELS - Election night parties for U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris were cancelled as voters ended hopes for the United States to elect its first female president and delivered a second term for Republican Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Both Democrats and Republicans had hoped to exploit a gender gap in the electorate, with Harris' campaign appealing to women over issues such as abortion rights, and Trump's camp reaching out to male voters, particularly young men, through social media, sports, podcasts and online gaming.

Harris' defeat comes as commitments to gender equality in politics fall short in some parts of the world during a bumper election year billed as 'democracy's biggest test'.

While there have been historic moments, such as the election of Mexico's first female president Claudia Sheinbaum in June, and Harini Amarasuriya named prime minister of Sri Lanka in September, elections in Indonesia, India, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, and South Africa had no female frontrunners.

The picture isn't much better in houses of parliament around the world. The percentage of women in parliament globally stood at 26.9% on average on June 1, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an independent organisation promoting democracy.

At the current rate, it will take 130 years before gender equality is reached in the highest positions of power, according to the United Nations.

So why are so few women running for office, why does it matter and what is being done about it?

Which countries lead the way and which lag behind?

Data shows that the number of women in political leadership roles, both in government and parliament, has improved over the past decade, but some regions such as the Middle East and North Africa lag far behind.

Europe had the highest proportion of female politicians, followed by Africa, South America and the Caribbean, according to data from the United Nations' gender equality entity.

Ranking lowest for women's representation were Central and Southern Asia and the Pacific Islands excluding Australia and New Zealand.

For example, none of the 38 contenders in Sri Lanka's presidential election in September is a woman, despite the fact that Sri Lanka gave the world its first female prime minister in 1960, electing Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

Japan's October election saw a record number of female candidates stand but the country remains far from meeting a government target to have 35% female lower house candidates by 2025. 

Exceptions in these regions include Rwanda, Cuba and Nicaragua, which have more women than men in parliament. A notable breakthrough came in the UK following the July general election when women were elected to 263 of the 650 seats, accounting for 40% of members of parliament (MPs).

Cabinet positions are still dominated by men, with just 23% of ministries headed by women globally, according to U.N. data. Only 15 countries had gender-equal cabinets: 10 in Europe, three in Latin America and two in sub-Saharan Africa.

Slow progress at government level means that gender parity in cabinets won't be reached before 2077, according to the U.N.

Beyond the data, the portfolios awarded to women are often limited to gender equality, family and children affairs, while they rarely take charge of defence or economic policymaking, which mirrors discriminatory gender roles in many societies, according to U.N. Women, a United Nations entity working towards gender equality.

However, when European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen unveiled her new team to lead the European Union's most powerful institution for the next five years on Sept. 17, female nominations dominated key posts for the first time.

The announcement saw von der Leyen name 11 women commissioners, including for the heavy-weight portfolios of climate, technology, foreign affairs, and antitrust.

Despite this, von der Leyen did not manage to achieve the gender balance she had targeted across all posts.

Why do we need more women in politics?

Underrepresentation of women in politics creates a democratic deficit where half of the population are consistently under-represented in positions of power, according to political scientists.

They also say women's involvement affects which issues are raised. Women tend to push for policies such as paid leave, childcare and prosecution of domestic violence.

Gender equality campaigners say that increasing the number of women in power could slowly shift public attitudes by breaking down negative gender stereotypes and providing role models to inspire political activism among young women.

What stops women from running for office?

Across the world, women face many obstacles to participating in politics including unequal access to funding and political networks, greater family responsibilities, male-dominated political cultures and gender stereotyping.

Discrimination also takes the form of violence and threats, which deter many women from entering politics, forcing them to choose between professional ambition and personal security.

Female politicians have also been targeted for abuse using new technology, such as AI deepfake porn, which can use artificial intelligence to strip clothes or create fake nude images. Such abuse is often aimed at undermining a politician's credibility.

What can boost women's participation?

The adoption of well-designed quotas plays an important role in improving women's participation, according to the IPU, with more than 130 countries modifying constitutions, laws or party rules to require female candidates.

In 2023, lawmakers in India's upper house of parliament guaranteed to reserve 33% of seats for women in the lower house and state assemblies in a bid to improve gender equality in the corridors of power, with implementation expected by 2027.

Another structural shift would involve changing electoral systems. Proportional representation, in which parties or individuals win seats based on the number of votes they receive, returns more female politicians than majority systems, according to the IPU.

Country leaders can play a big role by selecting gender-equal cabinets and giving women portfolios across different policy areas.

In Finland women are in charge of the justice and foreign affairs ministries, while in Spain women hold the portfolios of treasury, work and defence. The UK appointed its first female finance minister, Rachel Reeves, after the July election.

This story was updated on Nov 6 to reflect the results of the U.S. elections.

(Reporting by Joanna Gill; Editing by Ayla Jean Yackley.)