In 2024, only five women were elected in direct presidential elections, despite over 30 countries having presidential elections (UN Women). While more than 45 per cent of public servants are women, they tend to be concentrated in a few fields like education and health care, and even then, they tend to hold lower-level positions (Global Gender Gap report.
And yet, when women do lead, the impact is positive – not just for women, but for the whole of society (Cowper-Cowles .Global data by the UNDP reveal that higher levels of women’s political participation is associated with lower risk of civil wars, state-led violence, and violation of political rights.
There is also increasing evidence that women’s participation contributes positively towards the conclusion of peace talks and the implementation and durability of peace agreements. During the COVID pandemic, governments that were led by women took action more swiftly, communicated clearly, and were risk averse.
Women’s participation in political and public spheres is thus integral to the achievement of social justice and has been a key demand and commitment in multiple international conventions.
This Gender & Development issue on ‘Women's leadership in politics and governance: understanding the potential of transformative feminist leadership’ aims to counter fear and despair with resistance, assertion, and hope for a more-inclusive and equitable political future. It envisions breaking new ground and shows how effective community organising can lead to transformative change. Contributors in this issue describe how mentors and allies can strengthen women’s political organising and offer a solid path forward to address historical inequities and facilitate social justice. The articles in this collection focus on the collective efforts by women, Black and Indigenous in particular, trans persons, LGBTQI+ persons, and other historically marginalised groups, towards advancing their political participation and leadership though legislation, policies, and advocacy in governmental, organisational, and movement spaces. This special issue includes case studies from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and multiple countries from the Asia Pacific and the sub-Saharan African region. The authors in this publication are practitioners, scholars, activists, and grassroots political workers who discuss how advocates, mostly in the global South, are actively working to bring marginalised voices to the fore and ensure that they are able to claim their space in political processes, build power and advance political goals, as well as promote community leaders into elected office. Their research draws lessons from policy and practical experiences to advance, strengthen, and expand the theory and practice around transformative feminist leadership.
This year, 2025, marks 30 years since the Beijing Platform for Action, which committed states to achieving parity in political representation and strengthening democracy globally. Since then, other such agreements have been introduced, such as the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and many regional agreements such as the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Pacific Islands Forum Gender Equality Declaration.
More recently, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) reiterate the need to ensure women’s full participation at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life in SDG 5.5. These agreements commit member states to taking action to increase women’s representation in government, but are often weakly enforced due to lack of political will and other structural factors. Furthermore, there are no such agreements for gender-diverse or trans persons. While there is progress, it is slow. At the current rates, gender parity in parliaments might not be achieved until 2063 (UN Women).
A Guest Editorial