Four ways to get more women into politics

Australia needs to develop multiple ways to bring more women into the political pipeline and help them succeed. By Professor Carolyn Evans

Australian parliaments continue to lag behind many Australian workplaces and other countries when it comes to participation by women.

The Inter-Parliamentary Association lists Australia at 45 in the world for representation of women and an Australian Parliament Library report shows women make up somewhere between a quarter and a third of members in the Commonwealth and all state parliaments except Tasmania (where representation has reached 37.5%).

This is despite Australia being an international leader in enfranchising women and giving them the right to stand for Parliament.

The problems of under-representation are multiple and require complex, multi-faceted solutions. There has been much debate about the merits of quota systems and they deserve serious consideration. Here are four issues that need to be considered in addition or alternatively to quota systems to increase women’s representation.