Women’s political participation plays an ever more important role in efforts to advance democracy around the world. Which of these countries has the lowest percentage of women in its national parliament?
A. Tunisia B. Pakistan C. Italy D. Israel
D. Israel is correct. Women account for 14 percent of the members of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, giving it a rank of 77th in the world. In the Middle East, it ranks behind Afghanistan (27 percent), Iraq (26 percent), and the United Arab Emirates (23 percent). After Israel, the next highest level reached in the region is in Syria, where 12 percent of the parliament is made up of women. Still, Israel's participation rate puts it ahead of some European nations, including Ireland (13 percent) and Hungary (10 percent). In addition, Israel is ranked quite high, 36th in the world out of 128 countries, in terms of overall equality for women, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Women account for 23 percent of the parliament in Tunisia, and 21 percent in Pakistan.
The Globalist Quiz is produced by The Globalist, a Washington- based research organization that promotes awareness of world affairs. © 2008 The Globalist, theglobalist.com.
