Politics, youth and gender representation

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Around the world, women and youth are under-represented at every level in politics. The inadequate representation of women and young people distorts the way in which policy is formulated, depriving decision-makers of vital evidence and expertise. 

GPG’s skilled and experienced Associates help women and young people seek, obtain, and retain political power. 

Our approach

Direct coaching and advice

GPG’s projects have involved direct coaching and advice for women to develop and share the skills they need to access and hold leadership positions both within and beyond political parties. This was enacted through strategic communications, the effective use of political power for change, and creating or supporting internal political party mechanisms to provide support for women candidates and foster a pipeline of future candidates. 

GPGs projects have also engaged with youth representative structures by supporting youth presence in political office and decision-making at all levels. Developing inclusive and transparent processes which allow young people and their representatives to participate in the planning of their living environment. 

Mainstreaming of policies

GPG projects also seek to improve the representation of women and youth through the mainstreaming of gender-sensitive and equality policies including:

  • Promotion of gender-sensitive budgeting, with support on the approach and direct assistance and mentoring to apply it in practice.
  • Direct support to parliamentary committees undertaking legislative scrutiny and oversight to adopt gender and youth-sensitive approaches to legislation and to identify differential effects on women, men, boys and girls.
  • Targeted support to women’s committees or women’s caucuses and/or the creation of informal networks of women politicians spanning local, regional and national institutions.
  • Work with decision makers to enable the environment to support accessibility for women and young people participating in politics.
  • Making institutions transparent and approachable to the youth, opening representative institutions to students from schools and universities to interact and find out about these institutions first-hand.

Our experts

Jacqui Smith
Gordana Comic
Meg Munn
Margaret Curran
Lord Jeremy Purvis
Müjge Küçükkeleş
Aileen Walker
Adel Hamaizia

Case studies

Iraq
Bahrain
Ukraine
Lebanon
Egypt
Regional Events and Networks

Related resources