As a woman interested in public service, it can be hard to find uplifting headlines, especially when it comes to top leadership positions. That is why I was happy to see the recent news that New Zealand just elected its third female Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, who is the country’s youngest leader in 150 years at 37 years old. Prime Minister Ardern joins a small group of 12 other women who serve as the head of their government, representing less than 7% of the 193 UN member states.
The larger narrative about women in political leadership roles may be shifting, but the parity is still stark around the globe. In fact, according to the Women in Public Service Project’s new Leadership Index, women make up approximately 49.7% of the world’s population but hold only 22% of public offices. But how do we narrow the gap?
The Leadership Index and Data Portal are part of a larger goal to increase the percentage of women in public office to 50% by 2050 (otherwise known as 50×50). This unprecedented effort includes 10 data sets representing 186 countries including 2,347 data points. The Leadership Index provides an overview of where women are in governments across the globe, how much power they have, and how they got into positions of leadership. The five sectors of government include the executive, legislative, judiciary, civil service, and security at the national and local level. The Data Portal is organized by three main related pillars: pathways, positions, and power. This methodology helps draw out how decisions and policies affect how much power women hold in public office.
So what are some key findings? Out of the top 50 scores on the Leadership Index, the United States is ranked 28th. The United States has a Leadership Index overall score of 46.71, compared to Canada with 65.57. Top ten countries include Sweden, Finland, Norway, Canada, Slovenia, France, Iceland, New Zealand, Spain, and Ireland. You can even compare countries using their tool. Countries with similar representation of women in public service to the US include Kyrgyzstan, Cameroon, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
How can this data and information help women achieve greater representation around the world? Data-driven initiatives like 50×50 will help us answer the why, so we can better figure out the how.