International IDEA Women in Politics: Women In Parliament: DEMOCRACY THROUGH PARTNERSHIP: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION

Table 9. Women in Parliament: 1945 - 1995

In 50 years ..

The number of sovereign states with a parliament has increased sevenfold.
The percentage of women MPs world-wide has increased fourfold.

1945	1955	1965
26 parliaments 3.0 % women MPs 2.2 % women Senators	61 parliaments 7.5 % women MPs 7.7 % women Senators	94 parliaments 8.1 % women MPs 9.3 % women Senators
1975	1985	1995
115 parliaments 10.9 % women MPs 10.5 % women Senators	136 parliaments 12.0 % women MPs 12.7 % women Senators	176 parliaments 11.6 % women MPs 9.4 % women Senators

The record world average was reached in 1988 with 14.8% women MPs.

Source: IPU Study No. 28, 1997, " Men and Women in Politics: Democracy Still in the Making". Regularly updated statistical data on women in Parliament, world-wide, by region and by country, can by found on IPU's site on Internet: http://www.ipu.org (Click on "Women in Parliament").

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