Modern societies increasingly demand gender equality. It is also a precondition for genuine democracy. Yet women are still underrepresented in most parliaments in the world. This undermines parliaments’ efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy. It also hinders parliament’s capacity to promote gender equality in society as a whole.

This toolkit has been designed in response to a growing desire by parliaments around the world to improve the way that they advance gender equality and to be models to the communities they represent. The toolkit should help parliaments wishing to evaluate how gendersensitive they are, assess their current practices and policies, identify possible areas for reform, plan for change, and establish mechanisms to monitor progress