Women in politics worldwide depict a complex state of advancement and ongoing challenges. Whereas a Rwandan parliamentarian sits on a parliamentary platform with 60 percent representation of women, an Afghan female activist covers her face from a gender apartheid imposed by the Taliban. These opposite scenarios indicate the differences that the levels of development afford to women interested in gaining political authority.

Women hold 27% of parliamentary seats worldwide, with Rwanda leading at over 60%.

The quest for achieving gender equality in politics in developed countries has come with great events. Suffrage movements at the beginning of the 20th century in such countries as the United States or the United Kingdom created a way for women to earn the right to vote and engage in political actions. In 2023, women comprise approximately 27% of all seats in parliaments worldwide, with the Rwandan parliament being the most progressive, boasting a gender-based representation index of more than 60%. This growth has been credited to the adherence to gender quotas and employment of affirmative action policies, which help the political parties to field women candidates.

An example is the Scandinavian countries, where gender quotas have advanced women to elections, holding close to half the parliamentary positions. Their policies are advanced, especially in the protection of children, with a long parental leave, universal childcare, and laws criminalizing gender based violence. Certain invisible obstacles exist, though. In Germany and in France, female politicians continue to struggle with what some label as lipstick politics: scrutiny of looks instead of politics. In a recent study, it was discovered that women parliamentarians across the globe have been subjected to abuses online, 27 per cent more than their male counterparts, with the developed countries not an exception to this e-violence.

The developing world suffers stiffer challenges instead. The involvement of women in the field of government is usually determined by cultural rules and traditions related to women’s roles in society, which causes certain resistance to female commanders. There are tribes in Pakistan where women who want to run as candidates face honor killings. The women ministers in Burkina Faso also face sessions where they are blatantly doubted by their male colleagues over their competency. The pandemic has made these differences worse, as care demands threaten to paralyze women as civil political actors all over Africa.

There are economic factors that make these challenges even greater. In developing countries, there are usually fewer opportunities to acquire education and other resources, thereby restricting women from participating in politics. To give an example, women in sub-Saharan Africa encounter major challenges associated with receiving education and occupying the area of the economy, which subsequently influences their representation in politics. Cultural narratives In Malawi, Joyce Banda, the first female president, was threatened with impeachment due to what was considered as unfeminine decision-making.

Further, use of violence and intimidation is also a common problems that underrepresent women in politics in less developed countries. Women in politics are usually threatened, harassed, and become targets of violence, making them fear entering into political careers. The act of killing female politicians, as it is evident in Mexico and Brazil, highlights how risky it can be when females enter the political arena and, in turn, enhances gender inequalities in governance.

Technology comes out as a separator and a leveler in the political arena. In the country of Tunisia, it is a considerable degree of government admiration that is countered by activists who still organize through encrypted apps, and in the United States, deepfake disinformation is fought by the congresswomen. This polarity is epitomized in #ShePersisted, the viral online wave of protest against gender discrimination, which appears locally in Berlin and Bangalore, even though these two localities are separated by an ocean. Social media sites are now essential to women if they wish to make their voices heard and rally forces behind different causes, but it is also where women are harassed and abused.

Cultural norms and violence limit women’s political participation in many developing countries.

The influence of women’s leadership in politics is huge with regard to the making of decisions on policies and gender-sensitive government. In the developed countries, women politicians have played a vital role in furthering the pursuit of matters like family policies, healthcare, and reproductive rights. As an example, women leaders in the North of Europe have been at the forefront in pursuing pro-feminist policies, which have made women join the labour force in large numbers and enhanced welfare systems.

In developing countries, it is possible to introduce a positive change in the community with women in leadership positions, especially in sectors like education, health, and economic growth. It has been proven that women who are included in the political process look into matters that directly affect the lives of their communities, like healthcare and education. As an illustration, in Rwanda, women’s representation has been high in parliament, and this has brought in the health policies in improving the maternal health and education among girls, and this has been among the factors that have made the country develop well.

Nonetheless, it depends on the political environment and the party and citizens to whom female politicians belong on whether they would be effective or not. Women in both the developed and developing countries should be able to participate in the political processes, which should be accompanied by structural amendments where gender inequality and enable women to occupy leadership positions.

There has been an escalation of efforts to encourage gender equality in political representation the world over, and much effort has been geared towards encouraging more women to venture into politics. To increase the representation of women, the political parties in developed countries have adopted systems (statements of gender quotas and affirmative action) to counter this trend. An example is countries that have introduced gender quotas, which are rules whereby political parties must have a certain percentage of female candidates, and this has led to vast improvements in the number of women in parliament.

International organizations and NGOs, especially in developing nations, have made a significant contribution to enhancing the participation of women in politics. Such as the Sustainable Development Goals laid out by the United Nations, which stress the need for gender equality in governance and decision-making.

Women empowerment programs involving education, training, and mentorship have been established in different countries and have seen the creation of a pool of future female leaders. An example of such organisations is UN Women and the International Foundation of Electoral Systems, which have been making efforts to empower women in political life, especially to help the people of Afghanistan and Nigeria.

With the world aspiring to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (that aim to achieve the goals by 2030), the necessity to mobilize efforts to reduce the gap between women in politics in both developed and developing countries becomes more substantial. These differences in representation and participation point to the need to discuss the particular issues that women are to face depending on the context. Through the creation of inclusive politics and eliminating the challenges that prevent women from engaging in politics, societies can achieve the benefits of women’s leadership by realizing positive developments and ensuring sustainable development.

Social media is both a tool for women’s political activism and a space of harassment.

To sum it up, the comparative approach to women in politics in developing countries and those countries that are developed shows some important differences in the representation of women, the obstacles these present, and the roles of women. Although there is improvement that has been recorded in both contexts, there are a number of challenges that are still likely to influence the lack of women’s participation in political life.

Gender equality within the political sphere is not just that thing which is a subject of justice, but an important element of developing more democratic and equal societies. This is something we can work to achieve in our lifetime, as by understanding the value of female voices in government, we can see the concept of political systems as a lot richer and diverse, and representative of mankind as a whole.

The path to gender equality in the world of politics is a long process that demands the joint efforts of both governments and the civic society to establish an environment in which women can prosper as leaders. Going into the future, there is a need to keep pushing policies which encourage the political stand of women in the society, discourage cultural set-ups and hold participation over which women have no control, and as well as encourage women who have made a name in politics globally. It is only then that we can have any chance of getting a truly inclusive and representative state of those political tropes that will benefit everyone in the society.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.