50/50 Campaign: Gender Equity in National Parliaments

The Global 50/50 Campaign seeks to increase women’s representation and participation in all decision-making processes worldwide, with an emphasis on national parliaments. In the five years since it was launched by WEDO the campaign has been endorsed by nearly 300 organizations across the globe and 18 national and regional campaign launches have taken place.
The 50/50 campaign is not just about numbers; it is also about women making a difference. When women bring their experiences and feminist perspectives to the table everyone benefits and peace and justice can become a reality in the present rather than some distant future.

As a first step towards achieving gender balance in decision-making positions, this campaign demands that governments work for "a provisional minimum target of 30 percent representation of women in cabinet ministries and legislatures as well as local authorities by 2003 and equal representation by 2005." This is best summed up in our rallying slogan of 50/50 by 2005: Get the Balance Right!

In the UN General Assembly Special Session to Review the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, governments agreed to set time-bound targets, including quotas, to promote gender balance, especially in political parties, government ministries and local government bodies. There are many structural and cultural barriers that prevent women's full and equal participation in decision-making and prevailing gender stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes present serious obstacles to women's political participation. Similarly, different electoral systems and campaign finance laws limit political opportunities for women. To address these, the Beijing Platform for Action calls on governments to "review the differential impact of electoral systems on the political representation of women in elected bodies and consider, where appropriate, the adjustment or reform of those systems." It also encourages political parties to "integrate women in elective and non-elective public positions in the same proportion and at the same levels as men."