Party Girls

In September 2021, Iceland almost became the first European country to elect a majority female parliament, having already chosen its first female prime minister in 2009. But with 48 percent of its lawmakers female, Iceland remains the exception rather than the rule. Despite specific affirmative action measures promoted by the European Union, there are still more men than women in the legislatures of all member states, and the average representation of women is just over 30 percent. Only Sweden and Finland, which has a female prime minister of its own, also approach gender parity. As for the United States, although a record number of women were elected to Congress in 2020, they represent just 28 percent of the total.

In this context, Canadian advocates for the greater representation of women in electoral politics may take some consolation from knowing they are not alone. Some may also find several recent developments to be encouraging. The number of women elected to...