Elected to lead: A webinar on women and democracy

This year marks the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in Sweden, practiced for the first time in September 1921. Five women were elected to the Parliament (Riksdag) then, today 46 percent of the members of parliament are women.

Women's political participation and leadership have paved the way for many important reforms for gender equality and justice.

In India, the constitution mandates that at least one third of the seats at the local village councils, Panchayats, are to be reserved for women. This has been a major step for gender equality, but in practice it has not always had the effect it was intended to have.

The Hunger Project in India offers training in leadership and gender equality issues during the women's 5-year term. The elected women representatives become leaders of change in their villages and role models for a younger generation that sees the importance of women influencing society at all levels.

Based on these two examples The Hunger Project Sweden and Forum Civ invite you to a conversation on women’s political participation, representation and leadership - in Sweden, and the world.

Participants:

• Veda  Bharadwaja, Senior Programme Officer, The Hunger Project India
• Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu, Senior Advisor, Democracy and Inclusion, International IDEA
• Angela Refuerzo Larsson, Secretary General, Maktsalongen
• Drude Dahlerup, professor emerita of Political Science at Stockholm University

Moderator: Anna Stenvinkel, Secretary General, Forum Civ

The seminar will be held in English.