Twenty-six years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which set international targets for reaching gender balance in political decision-making, women are still underrepresented across all levels of power.

Check here figures from the United Nations' world map of political representation as of Jan. 1, 2021.

● On a global average, women account for 25.5 percent of all parliamentarians. The gap is wider in the Pacific region (20.9 percent), the Middle East and North Africa (17.8 percent) and Asia (20.4 percent), and narrower in the Americas (32.4 percent) and Europe (30.4 percent). In Sub-Saharan Africa the average is nearly equal to the global average (25 percent).

● Only two countries, Rwanda and Cuba, have more female parliamentarians in the Lower House, and the United Arab Emirates had 50:50 gender parity in parliament as of Jan. 1, 2021.

● The only three countries that have more women than men in the Upper House (Senate) are Australia (51.3 percent), Antigua and Barbuda (52.9 percent) and Bolivia (55.6 percent), followed closely by Mexico (49.2 percent).

● Only 22 of 193 countries have a female head of government or female head of state (Bangladesh, Barbados, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Lithuania, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago).

● According to the United Nations, 119 have never had a female leader, which underlines that at the current rate, gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be attained for another 130 years.

● As of Jan. 1, 2021, only 13 countries had 50 percent or more women in ministerial positions (Nicaragua, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Albania, Rwanda, Costa Rica, Canada, Andorra, Finland, France, Guinea-Bissau and Spain). Globally, most female ministers tend to hold portfolios linked to family and children’s affairs, social affairs, the environment, employment and gender equality.

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● Eighty-two percent of female parliamentarians who participated in a study by the Inter-parliamentary Union in 39 countries across five regions in 2016 reported having experienced some form of psychological violence (such as remarks, gestures and images of a sexist or humiliating sexual nature or threats) while serving their terms.

● According to research by Cambridge University, female lawmakers are more likely to advocate policies that support education and health. They are also more likely to pass and implement legislation that advances gender equality, including laws against domestic violence, rape and sexual harassment.

● According to the Council on Foreign Relations, when women’s parliamentary representation increases by 5 percent, a country is almost five times less likely to respond to an international crisis with violence. Women’s parliamentary representation is associated with a lower risk of civil war and lower levels of state-perpetrated human rights abuses, such as disappearances, killings, political imprisonment and torture.

COUNTRIES OF TOWARDS EQUALITY’S MEDIA PARTNERS

● In Afghanistan (which ranks 71st out of 193 countries analyzed by the United Nations with regard to gender parity in parliament), women currently hold 27 percent of seats in the Lower House and 27.9 percent in the Upper House. Women hold 6.5 percent of ministerial positions (two out of 31).

● In Argentina (No. 18 in the U.N. survey), women currently hold 42.4 percent of seats in the Lower House and 40.3 percent in the Upper House. A woman currently holds the position of speaker in parliament. Women hold 18.2 percent of ministerial positions (four out of 22).

● In Brazil (No. 142 in the survey), women currently hold 15.2 percent of seats in the Lower House and 12.4 percent in the Upper House. Women hold 10.5 percent of ministerial positions (two out of 19).

● In France (No. 27 in the survey), women currently hold 34.8 percent of seats in the Lower House and 12.4 percent in the Upper House. Women hold 50 percent of ministerial positions (nine out of 18).

● In Italy (No. 35 in the survey and tying with Guyana), women currently hold 35.7 percent of seats in the Lower House and 34.4 percent in the Upper House. A woman currently holds the position of speaker in parliament. Women hold 36.4 percent of ministerial positions (eight out of 22).

● In Japan (No. 166 in the survey), women currently hold 9.9 percent percent of seats in the Lower House and 23 percent in the Upper House. A woman currently holds the position of Upper House president. Women hold 10 percent of ministerial positions (two out of 20).

● In Kenya (No. 105 in the survey and tying with Fiji and Cambodia), women currently hold 21.6 percent of seats in the Lower House and 12.4 percent in the Upper House. Women hold 31.8 percent of ministerial positions (seven out of 23).

● In Lebanon (No. 183 in the survey), women currently hold 4.7 percent of seats in parliament. The country doesn’t have an Upper House. Women hold 31.6 percent of ministerial positions (six out of 19).

● In Morocco (No. 114 in the survey), women currently hold 20.5 percent of seats in the Lower House and 11.7 percent in the Upper House. Women hold 15.8 percent of ministerial positions (three out of 19).

● In South Africa (No. 12 in the survey), women currently hold 45.8 percent of seats in the Lower House and 41.5 percent in the Upper House. A woman currently holds the position of speaker in parliament. Women hold 48.3 percent of ministerial positions (14 out of 29).

● In Spain (No. 16 in the survey), women currently hold 44 percent of seats in the Lower House and 40.8 percent in the Upper House. A woman currently holds the position of speaker in parliament. Women hold 50 percent of ministerial positions (11 out of 22).

● In Switzerland (No. 20 in the survey), women currently hold 42 percent of seats in the Lower House and 26.1 percent in the Upper House. Women hold 42.9 percent of ministerial positions (three out of seven).

● In the United Kingdom (No. 39 in the survey and tying with Cameroon), women currently hold 33.9 percent of seats in the Lower House and 27.9 percent in the Upper House. Women hold 23.8 percent of ministerial positions (five out of 21).

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This article is being published as part of “Towards Equality”, an international and collaborative initiative gathering 15 international news outlets to highlight the challenges and solutions to reach gender equality. The Asahi Shimbun is participating in this campaign spearheaded by Sparknews.