“Across the globe, women remain underrepresented in political spaces: female citizens are 3.5 percent less likely to vote and 10 percent less likely to participate in politics in between elections than men […] and still only 26 percent of parliamentarians are women.”
— USAID, “What Works for Women’s Participation and Leadership,”
researched and written by the Cloudburst Group.
Did you know that one facet of increasing women’s representation in political spaces comes from observing other women as role models acting as political participants and leaders? Research from around the globe has shown that as women gain more representation in political office, other women’s aspirations grow. Women gain the opportunity to serve as role models when policies that increase women’s representation in political bodies, in combination with initiatives focused on norm changes, are established.
The Cloudburst Group is currently supporting USAID to understand potentially successful approaches to increasing women’s participation in politics and leadership around the world.
Cloudburst, a women-owned small business focused on improving social, economic, and environmental resilience in the U.S. and across the globe, is leading the way in shifting thinking about gender equality and women’s leadership around the world. Cloudburst’s work is grounded in promoting representation of underserved or marginalized populations including women, youth, and indigenous populations to ensure their voices and experiences are accounted for.
On May 24, Cloudburst team members will be present at this year’s Society for International Development annual conference. To learn more about the Cloudburst Group’s impactful work around the world please visit the Cloudburst Group table at the Society for International Development Conference. Cloudburst looks forward to seeing you there!
To learn more about the Society for International Development Conference: https://sidw.org/
To learn more about Cloudburst’s global development work: https://cloudburstgroup.com/services/global-development/
*What Works for Women’s Participation and Leadership, researched and written by the Cloudburst Group; published by USAID.
PHOTO: At left, Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s first female president, speaks with the second female president of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Photo: Palácio do Planalto.