Gender norms and women in politics: Evaluating progress and identifying challenges on the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Platform

While women are increasingly exercising their right to political participation, many who aspire to political office still find their way barred by the gender norms that see politics as a masculine space. This ALIGN guide focuses on the influence of gender norms in three key areas:

• women’s parliamentary representation
• women’s experiences running for and standing in leadership positions, and
• women’s engagement in civic action and social movements.

The guide also raises fundamental questions about ways gender norms interact with social and economic conditions to work for or against women’s representation and the persistent influence of gender norms on their political aspirations.