Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
THE SITUATION OF
FEMALE MEMBERSHIP
OF GOVERNMENTS
by 2008
Countries
with women only at Vice-Ministerial level
Brunei, Romania,
The Vatican
(Deputy Vice-Minister) and probably
North Korea
Countries
without female members of the government at present:
Bhutan,
Burma (Myanmar),
Cayman Islands,
Faeroe
Islands,
Mongolia,
Palau, St. Kitts and Nevis,
Solomon Islands
(Also no female MP's),
Tuvalu
and
Ukraine.
Countries
which never had female members of the government
Monaco
and
Saudi Arabia
Burma (Myanmar), Solomon Islands and Tuvalu only had one female minister throughout their history.
Countries, which only had female Deputy Ministers
Brunei (...)
European
Countries with few female members
Quite a few governments only have one female minister or perhaps one cabinet
level minister and a number of female deputy ministers.
Among countries with a particularly low representation of women are Italy, Greece and Portugal - both in a European and World perspective.
Greece from 2007 1 female Minister and 17 male and 1 female Deputy Minister and 22 male (total of 4,8%) (2004-07: 2 female and 44 male members) (A total of 4,5%) (The ratio was 12,0% in 2000)
Portugal 2005 the new socialist government was reshuffled and the total number was 3 women and 33 men, down from 2 female ministers and 15 male (11%) and 4 female Secretaries of State and 32 male (11%) when it was formed 6 months earlier. The previous rightwing government formed in 2002 had 7 female and 45 male members (23% Ministers and 13% in total). In the new government formed in 2004 the total number of Ministers went up from 17 to 19, but the number of female ministers dropped from 4 to 3 (15%). At the same time the number of Secretaries of States went up from 36 to 38, 5 of whom were women (13,1%) the same as in the previous government (where the percentage was 13,8)). In 2000 there was 11,7% women in the government.
Other governments with few women
Afghanistan 1 (until 2006 3 women)
Pakistan 1 woman and 32 men (3%) (5 of 26 State Ministers, 10 of 39 Parliamentary Secretaries and 1 of 3 Advisors are women)
Kuwait Ministers 1 woman and 23 men (4,1%)
United Arab Emirates 2 women and 21 men (8,6%) (Until 2006 1 woman and 21 men (4,5%))
Qatar Ministers 1 woman and 20 men (4,7%)
Oman Ministers 2 women and 36 men (5,2%)
Yemen Ministers 2 woman and 33 men (5,7%)
Cambodia
(10 women and 170 men) (5,8%)
Angola Ministers 7% female minister and 22%
vice-ministers (12% MPs)
Laos Ministers 2 women and 26 men (7,1%) (Until 2006 there was only one female Vice-Minister among the about 100 government officials)
Bahrain 2 women and 24 men (7,6%)
India
In 2006
Iraq Ministers 3 women and 34 men (8,8%) (2005-06: 7 women and 29 men (19%))
Israel Ministers
2 women and 23 men (8%)
Vietnam Ministers 3 women and 27 men (10%)
Haiti 2 women and 17 men (10,5%)
Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) 9 women and 52 men among the Ministers and Vice-Ministers (14%)
United States of America 3 women and 17 men (15%) (In 2001 about 26% of the appointments to the Administration (About 500 in total) were female, but this number seems to have dropped since. In the Clinton Administration the percentage of women were 37, for Bush senior 24%, for Reagan 10%, for Carter 15%, for Ford 6% and Nixon and Johnson 4% each))
Countries and governments with a higher number of female members
Finland 12 women and 8 men (60%) (Until 2007 42%, for a short while in 2001 the government had 9 female and 9 male members). In 2000 there were 38,9 % women in the government.
French Community Government
(Belgium) 4 women and 2 men (60%)
Norway
10 women and 9 men (52,6%). Until 2007 9 women and 11 men (45%) (And 19 female and 23 male State Secretaries
(44%)). In the 1965 percentage of women was 13 and with the second government of
Gro Harlem Brundtland in 1986 it reached the worldwide unprecedented 44% and has
stayed around this percentage since then.
Spain 7 women and 10 men (8 women and 9 men (47%) from 2004-07). In 2000 there was 17,6% women in the
government.
South Africa 13 women and 15 men (46%) (10 female Deputy Ministers and 11 male (47%))
Wales (United Kingdom) 4 women and 5 men (45%) (Until 2005 it was the other way around (55%))
Nicaragua Ministers 45% women in the Cabinet (of all government positions 36% are women)
Sweden From September 2007 10 women and 12 men (45%), 2006-09 9 female and 13 male ministers (40,9%)(At a Social Democrat government reshuffle earlier in 2006 the ratio dropped from 11 women and 11 men to 10 women and 11 men (47%). In 2000 there were 57,9% women in the government)
Netherlands Antillies 4 women and 5 men (44,4%) (Until 2006 4 women and 4 men)
France Ministers 7 women and 9 women (43,7%) and 5 male Secretaries of State from 2007. ( 2005-07 20% and in 2000 there were 34,4% women in the government)
Chile Ministers 9 women and 13 men (40,9%) and 18 male subsecretaries and 15 female (45%). 2006-07 the government had 10 women and 10 men (+ the president) (50/52%) and 15 female and 16 male subsecretaries (48%)
Austria 40% women including State Secretaries. 2005-07 6 women and 6 men (50%) (All the 6 state secretaries are male (so the total number is 33,3%)). In 2000 there were 31,3 % women in the government.
Montserrat (United Kingdom) 2 women and 3 men (40%) (Until 2006 it was 2 women and 2 men)
Denmark From September 2007 7 women and 12 men (36,8%) December 2006-September 2007 there were 6 women and 13 men (31%)) and February 2005-December 2006 5 women and 14 men (26%), In 2000 there were 45% women in the government.
Iceland 4 women and 8 men (33,3%) (Up from 3 women and 9 men (27%) in 2005). In 2000 there were 40% women in the government.
Netherlands Ministers 5 women and 11 men (31%). Including the State Secretaries the total ratio of women is 34%. In 2000 there were 30% women in the government.
Bolivia Ministers 5 women and 12 male ministers (29%) with 1 female and 39 male Vice-Ministers (2,5%)
Germany 6 women and 10 men (26%) (6 female and 20 male State Ministers and Parliamentary State Secretaries (23%)). In 2000 there were 35% women in the government.
Rwanda 9 women and 22 men (25%)
Italy Ministers 6 female and 20 male Ministers (23%) (the previous government had 7% female ministers)
Australia Ministers 7 women and 23 men (23,3%) from 2007. (2006-07 there were 4 women and 25 men (13%) and 2004-06 there were 6 women and 23 men))
United Kingdom 5 women and 17 men (22%) down from 8 women and 15 men (34,7%) 2006-07. The whole government has got 119 members, of whom 39 are female (32,7%). Until 2006 there were 5 women and 18 men in the Cabinet (21%) (And a large number of Deputies). In 2000 there were 35,3 % women in the government (Cabinet and Junior Ministers (30 women out of 85))
Canada 7 women and 25 men (21%) (Until January 2006 10 women and 30 men (24%))
Luxembourg 3 women and 12 men (20%) (Until July 2004 - 4 women and 9 men (30,7%)). In 2000 there were 28,6 % women in the government.
Ireland 3 women and 12 men in cabinet (20%) (1 female and 14 male Ministers of State (7%)). In 2000 there were 18,8% women in the government.
Belgium 4 women 17 men (19%) (Until July 2004 the ratio was 8 women and 12 men (40%)). In 2000 there were 16,7% women in the government.
Liechtenstein. In 2000 there was 20% women in the government.
Last update 01.01.08