Gender Equality in Political Institutions: A Comparative Global Analysis

Abstract

Abstract Gender equality in political institutions is a core condition of democratic legitimacy, inclusive policymaking, and sustainable development. Despite sustained progress since the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, women remain underrepresented in executive leadership, national legislatures, and many decision-making institutions. This study provides a comparative global analysis of the institutional, political, socio-cultural, and economic factors that shape women’s political representation and influence. It employs a qualitative comparative design based on secondary evidence from UN Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), International IDEA, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and peer-reviewed scholarship. Feminist Institutionalism serves as the principal theoretical lens, complemented by liberal, radical, socialist, intersectional, Critical Mass, and Critical Actors perspectives. The evidence indicates that proportional representation, well-designed and enforced gender quotas, transparent party recruitment, leadership development, and campaign-finance support are associated with stronger descriptive representation. Yet numerical gains do not automatically produce substantive influence: patriarchal institutional cultures, unequal access to resources, party gatekeeping, political violence, and digital harassment continue to restrict women’s decision-making power. In 2026 women hold about 27.5% of national parliamentary seats and 22.4% of cabinet positions globally, while local-government representation is approximately 36%. The study concludes that progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 5 requires institutional reform alongside political-party democratization, socio-cultural transformation, and stronger safeguards against violence and exclusion.