India’s attempt to implement women’s reservation in the Parliament suffered a major setback after the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, failed to get through the Parliament. India’s current representation of women in the Indian Parliament is roughly around 14% in the Lok Sabha and 17% in the Rajya Sabha, as compared to the global average, which stands at 26%. The low representation of women in politics and their involvement in decision-making at the national and lower levels has been and continues to be low worldwide.
While in principle, India has already taken a step forward in the direction of increasing women’s participation in the national decision-making with the passing of the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, the law has been waiting for implementation for over two years.
The debate about bringing gender parity in politics and public life is not limited to any one country or region. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development include gender equality as one of the goals. It goes without saying that gender parity in politics and policymaking is pivotal for achieving gender equality at other levels nationally as well as globally.
Notably, India is not the only country to take legislative action to ensure that women are given adequate representation in the country’s biggest decision-making body. Several other countries have taken affirmative actions to ensure women’s representation in the national as well as local politics. Some of the countries have introduced fixed minimum quotas for women in their national legislative bodies, while others have fixed minimum quotas in the candidates’ lists of political parties.
Here is a list of some of the countries which have taken affirmative actions and fixed gender quotas, including reserved seats in their national or local legislative bodies and candidate quotas.
Nepal
In Nepal, 33% seats in its Parliament are reserved for women. It has a fixed gender quota of 33% for the Lower House and 2% for the Upper House. The gender quota for the sub-national level also stands at 33%.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, the gender quota was introduced in 1965, but after 2002, the minimum representation of women in its National Assembly was fixed at 17%.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, at least 14% of the seats in the Lower House of the Jatiye Sansad are to be filled by women candidates, while at the sub-national level, the minimum gender quota has been fixed at 33%.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has fixed a gender quota target for the Sub-national level at 25%.
United Arab Emirates
The Middle Eastern country has a gender Quota target of 50% for the Lower House of its Federal National Council.
Indonesia
The gender quota in the Lower House of the People’s Consultative Assembly has been fixed at 30%. The minimum percentage of women at the sub-national level has also been set at 30%.
Greece
40% of the seats in the Lower House of the Hellenic Parliament have been reserved for women representatives. And the same percentage of seats has been fixed for women at the sub-national level.
Italy
In Italy, 40% of the seats in the Lower House of the Italian Parliament have been reserved for women, and the same percentage of the total seats have been fixed for women representatives in the Upper House. Besides, 40% reservation has been provided to women candidates at the sub-national level. The political parties in Italy have voluntarily adopted gender quotas.
Spain
Spain has reserved 40% of the seats in the Lower House and 50% of the seats in the Upper House of its national legislature for women. At the sub-national level, 40% of the seats have been reserved for women. Like Italy, political parties in Spain have also adopted voluntary quotas of 44% for women.
Norway
The Nordic country has fixed a gender quota of 40% for women at the sub-national level.
Notably, major Western and European countries like the US, Canada, France, Germany and Sweden do not have seats reserved for women representatives in their national legislative bodies. If one takes a look at the representation of women in top political positions and connected public offices globally, in 28 countries, 30 women serve as Heads of State and/or Government as of January 1, 2026. According to the data compiled by UN Women, women represent 22.4 per cent of Cabinet members heading Ministries, leading a policy area as of the same date.
According to an estimate, at the current rates of progress in granting women representation in political spheres, gender parity in national legislative bodies will not be achieved before 2063. While gender parity remains evasive across the world, including the first world and the third world countries alike, reservation of seats for women in national legislatures and local levels has contributed significantly towards the aspirational goal of achieving gender parity in politics globally.
Women’s representation in politics is not a mere cosmetic change in how the national decision-making bodies appear. It had deep and far-reaching implications for policies and governance outcomes. A balanced representation is likely to ensure more equitable and inclusive policy-making. It will encourage and empower women to claim their rightful places in public life and areas traditionally dominated by men because of societal norms and a tilted power structure.
