SDG #5 is to “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”
Within SDG #5 are 9 targets, of which we here focus on Target 5.5:
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
Target 5.5 has two indicators:
Indicator 5.5.1: Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments
Indicator 5.5.2: Proportion of women in managerial positions
Indicator 5.5.1 introduces us to the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The IPU is independent of the UN, but the two work together. Indicator 5.5.1 is split into two levels of governance: national parliaments and local governments. For the countries with data, UN Women reports 3 million elected to local government.
As of 2023, the global share of women in parliamentary seats is 26%, with the most in Rwanda, with 61%. For the same in local government, the global figure is 35%, the largest share being in Antigua and Barbuda.
Let's turn from positions of leadership in government to the world of work and the labour force for the second indicator for Target 5.5. We now measure what share of women have a managerial occupation. Of the countries with data, Jordan has the largest share of women in senior and middle management positions with 57%. The worldwide share of organisations with the top manager being female is 18%, with the greatest share of countries with data in Thailand (64%).
