Statistics and indicators on women and men
 

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Table 6.A - Women in public life

 
% parliamentary seats
% women in decision-
 
in Single or Lower chamber
making positions
 
occupied by women
in government
 
Ministerial

Sub-ministerial
 
level
level

Country or area
1987
1995
2003
1994
1998
 1994 1998
 
Africa
Algeria
2
7
6
4
0
8
10
Angola
15
10
16
7
14
2
10
Benin
4
8
6
10
13
0
5
Botswana
5
9
17
6
14
6
20
Burkina Faso
..
4
12
7
10
14
10
Burundi
9
..
18
7
8
0
0
Cameroon
14
12
9
3
6
5
6
Cape Verde
12
8
11
13
13
9
50
Central African Republic
4
4
7
5
4
17
6
Chad
..
16
6
5
0
0
6
Comoros
0
0
..
0
7
0
0
Congo
10
2
9
6
6
0
0
Côte d'Ivoire
6
5
9
8
3
0
3
Dem. Rep. of the Congo
5
5
..
6
..
7
..
Djibouti
0
0
11
0
0
3
3
Egypt
4
2
2
4
6
0
4
Equatorial Guinea
3
8
5
4
4
0
5
Eritrea
..
21
22
7
5
13
6
Ethiopia
1
5
8
10
5
10
16
Gabon
13
6
9
7
3
12
9
Gambia
8
..
13
0
29
7
17
Ghana
..
8
9
11
9
12
9
Guinea
..
7
19
9
8
8
20
Guinea-Bissau
15
10
8
4
18
19
16
Kenya
2
3
7
0
0
4
9
Lesotho
..
5
12
6
6
21
15
Liberia
6
6
8
5
8
0
6
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
..
..
..
0
7
0
0
Madagascar
1
4
4
0
19
4
8
Malawi
10
6
9
9
4
9
4
Mali
4
2
10
10
21
0
0
Mauritania
..
0
4
0
4
6
6
Mauritius
7
3
6
3
..
7
..
Morocco
0
1
11
0
0
0
8
Mozambique
16
25
30
4
0
9
15
Namibia
..
18
26
10
8
2
17
Niger
..
4
1
5
10
19
8
Nigeria
..
..
5
3
6
11
4
Rwanda
13
17
49
9
5
10
20
Sao Tome and Principe
12
7
9
0
0
20
33
Senegal
11
12
19
7
7
0
15
Seychelles
16
27
29
31
33
21
16
Sierra Leone
..
..
15
0
10
2
11
Somalia
4
..
..
0
0
0
0
South Africa
2
25
30
6
..
2
..
Sudan
8
8
10
0
0
0
0
Swaziland
4
3
3
0
6
6
16
Togo
5
1
7
5
9
0
0
Tunisia
6
7
12
4
3
14
10
Uganda
..
17
25
10
13
7
13
United Rep. of Tanzania
..
11
22
13
13
4
11
Zambia
3
7
12
5
3
9
12
Zimbabwe
11
15
10
3
12
25
6
Latin America/Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda
0
5
5
0
0
44
41
Argentina
5
22
31
0
8
3
9
Bahamas
4
8
20
23
17
35
44
Barbados
4
11
11
0
27
16
20
Belize
4
3
3
6
0
13
17
Bolivia
3
11
19
0
6
8
11
Brazil
5
7
9
5
4
11
13
Chile
..
8
13
13
13
0
8
Colombia
5
11
12
11
18
6
27
Costa Rica
11
14
35
10
15
9
21
Cuba
34
23
36
0
5
9
11
Dominica
10
9
19
9
20
38
33
Dominican Republic
8
12
17
4
10
14
16
Ecuador
1
4
16
6
20
0
6
El Salvador
7
11
11
10
6
7
29
Grenada
13
20
27
10
14
14
43
Guatemala
7
8
9
19
0
7
15
Guyana
37
20
20
12
15
25
22
Haiti
8
..
4
13
0
10
14
Honduras
8
7
6
11
11
22
17
Jamaica
12
12
12
5
12
17
22
Mexico
11
14
23
5
5
5
7
Nicaragua
15
16
21
10
5
8
13
Panama
6
8
10
13
6
15
5
Paraguay
2
3
9
0
7
3
6
Peru
6
10
18
6
10
11
23
Saint Kitts and Nevis
7
0
13
..
0
..
15
Saint Lucia
0
0
11
8
10
0
7
St. Vincent/
Grenadines
5
10
23
0
10
0
14
Suriname
8
6
18
0
5
0
16
Trinidad and Tobago
17
19
19
19
14
13
19
Uruguay
4
7
12
0
7
5
14
Venezuela
4
6
10
11
3
0
7
Asia
Afghanistan
..
..
..
0
0
0
0
Armenia
..
..
5
3
0
2
5
Azerbaijan
..
2
11
5
10
0
5
Bahrain
..
..
0
0
0
0
1
Bangladesh
9
11
2
8
5
2
0
Bhutan
2
0
9
22
0
0
8
Brunei Darussalam
..
..
..
0
0
0
6
Cambodia
21
6
7
0
..
7
..
China
21
21
22
6
..
4
..
Cyprus
1
4
11
7
0
4
4
Dem. People's. Rep. of Korea
21
20
20
0
..
2
..
Georgia
..
6
7
0
4
3
6
India
8
8
9
3
..
7
..
Indonesia
12
12
8
6
3
1
1
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
1
3
4
0
0
1
1
Iraq
13
11
8
0
0
0
0
Israel
8
9
15
4
0
5
9
Jordan
0
1
6
3
2
0
0
Kazakhstan
..
..
10
6
5
0
2
Kuwait
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
Kyrgyzstan
..
5
10
0
4
9
3
Lao People's Dem. Rep.
..
9
23
0
0
5
0
Lebanon
..
2
2
0
0
0
0
Malaysia
5
8
10
7
16
0
13
Maldives
2
6
6
5
6
6
11
Mongolia
25
4
11
0
0
0
0
Myanmar
..
..
..
0
0
0
0
Nepal
6
..
6
0
3
0
0
Oman
..
..
..
0
0
2
4
Pakistan
9
2
22
4
7
1
1
Philippines
9
9
18
8
10
11
19
Qatar
..
..
..
0
0
3
0
Republic of Korea
3
2
6
4
..
0
..
Saudi Arabia
..
..
0
0
0
0
0
Singapore
4
4
16
0
0
4
8
Sri Lanka
..
5
4
3
13
6
5
Syrian Arab Republic
9
10
12
7
8
0
0
Tajikistan
..
3
13
3
6
7
6
Thailand
3
6
9
0
4
2
7
Timor-Leste
..
..
26
..
..
..
..
Turkey
1
2
4
5
5
0
17
Turkmenistan
..
18
26
3
4
0
0
United Arab Emirates
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Uzbekistan
..
6
7
3
3
5
13
Viet Nam
18
18
27
5
0
0
5
Yemen
..
1
0
0
0
0
0
Oceania
Fiji
2
4
6
10
10
6
16
Kiribati
0
0
5
..
..
..
..
Marshall Islands
..
3
3
8
0
13
13
Micronesia (Fed. States of)
..
0
0
0
0
11
0
Nauru
..
..
0
..
..
..
..
Palau
..
0
0
..
20
..
17
Papua New Guinea
0
0
1
0
0
0
8
Samoa
4
4
6
..
7
..
12
Solomon Islands
0
2
0
5
6
0
8
Tonga
0
3
..
..
..
..
..
Tuvalu
..
..
0
..
..
..
..
Vanuatu
4
2
2
7
0
0
7
Developed regions
Albania
29
6
6
0
11
0
13
Andorra
..
4
14
..
18
..
67
Australia
6
10
25
13
14
23
17
Austria
11
23
34
16
20
5
4
Belarus
..
..
10
3
3
5
10
Belgium
8
12
35
11
3
15
6
Bosnia and Herzegovina
..
4
17
0
6
6
7
Bulgaria
21
13
26
0
..
13
..
Canada
10
18
21
14
..
20
..
Croatia
..
6
21
4
12
6
20
Czech Republic
..
10
17
0
17
0
14
Denmark
29
33
38
29
41
11
12
Estonia
..
13
19
15
12
3
17
Finland
32
34
38
39
29
17
13
France
7
6
12
7
12
12
12
Germany
..
26
32
16
8
5
5
Greece
4
6
9
4
5
8
7
Hungary
21
11
10
0
5
6
12
Iceland
21
25
30
15
8
3
7
Ireland
8
13
13
16
21
15
8
Italy
13
15
12
12
13
16
9
Japan
1
3
7
6
0
8
3
Latvia
..
15
21
0
7
5
27
Liechtenstein
7
8
12
17
14
0
20
Lithuania
..
7
11
0
6
6
11
Luxembourg
12
20
17
9
17
11
16
Malta
3
2
8
0
0
0
8
Monaco
11
6
21
0
0
0
0
Netherlands
20
31
37
31
28
10
8
New Zealand
14
21
28
8
8
17
31
Norway
34
39
36
35
20
49
24
Poland
20
13
20
7
17
12
9
Portugal
8
9
19
10
10
5
11
Republic of Moldova
..
5
13
0
0
6
15
Romania
34
4
11
0
8
0
10
Russian Federation
..
13
8
0
8
3
4
San Marino
10
12
17
17
0
43
30
Serbia and Montenegro
..
3
8
..
5
..
12
Slovakia
30
15
19
5
19
16
23
Slovenia
..
14
12
5
0
13
19
Spain
9
16
28
14
18
0
4
Sweden
32
40
45
30
43
4
24
Switzerland
14
18
27
17
17
0
8
The FYR of Macedonia
..
3
18
8
9
13
23
Ukraine
..
4
5
0
5
0
3
United Kingdom
6
10
18
9
24
7
19
United States
5
11
14
14
26
26
33

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Sources:

For parliamentary seats occupied by women: Inter-Parliamentary Union, Women in National Parliaments, Situation as of 20 October 2003 (http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm, accessed on 27 October 2003); for women in decision-making positions in government: Women's Indicators and Statistics database (Wistat), Version 4, CD-ROM (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.00.XVII.4), based on compilations prepared by the Division for the Advancement of Women of the United Nations Secretariat.

Footnotes:

Two dots (..) indicate that data are not available.


Technical notes:

Table 6.A presents indicators on women's representation in national legislative bodies and in top-level decision-making positions in government. The statistics on parliamentarians are based on data provided to the Inter-Parliamentary Union by national authorities. These statistics, updated regularly, are available in http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm. Data on women in decision-making positions in Government are based on compilations prepared by the Division for the Advancement of Women of the United Nations Secretariat from the 1994 and 1998 issues of World-wide Government Directory.

The percentage of parliamentary seats occupied by women presented in table 6.A was calculated only for the lower chamber in countries with a bicameral assembly. Data for 1987 are based on the sex distribution of parliamentarians in the last election held between 1982 and 1987. Data for 1995 and 2003 are based on the sex distribution as at 1 July 1995 and 20 October 2003, respectively, and reflect changes, if any, after the most recent election prior to those dates, such as results of by-election or replacements following a parliamentarian's resignation or death.

A decision-making position in Government is defined as a position at the level of minister or the equivalent, deputy or assistant minister or the equivalent, secretary of State or permanent secretary or the equivalent and deputy of State or director of government or the equivalent. In table 6.A, "ministerial level" includes persons at the level of minister or the equivalent, while "sub-ministerial level" includes the rest of the positions enumerated above.