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Paige Fusco

She's got the power

Happy women’s history month! This week, we look at female representation in the US Congress and Canadian Parliament.

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Ari Winkleman

The Graphic Truth: Female governance gap

March is International Women’s History month, but while women account for just over half the world’s population, the overwhelming majority of political leaders and policymakers globally are men. In fact, there are just six countries where women make up more than 50% of the national legislature, and only 31 countries (out of 193 UN member states) in which a woman is either head of state or head of government. Furthermore, only one G7 country - Italy - currently has an elected female leader. While some countries have introduced controversial gender quotas at various stages in the electoral process as a bid to increase female participation, there's lots of progress still to be made. Here's a look at the facts and figures.

Paige Fusco

The Graphic Truth: Women in power

Liz Truss is the shortest-serving PM in British history, but women heads of state and government across the world seem to be doing just fine. Some have yet to prove themselves — like Giorgia Meloni, who was sworn in Saturday as prime minister after riding a far-right election victory in Italy. Others have been at it for years, such as Sheikh Hasina, who’s provided stability that has given once-poor Bangladesh the highest GDP per capita ratio in South Asia. We list the world’s 18 female incumbents with executive authority and popular mandates to serve.

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Plastic letters arranged to read "Inflation" are placed on British Pound banknote

Reuters

Hard Numbers: BoE warns of recession, Joseph Stalin arrested, cops charged in Breonna Taylor death, Kenyan women lawmakers targeted

27: The Bank of England raised interest rates by 50 basis points on Thursday, its biggest hike in 27 years, and the bank warned that inflation will likely peak at a staggering 13.3% this fall with a drawn-out recession being all but inevitable.

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Soldiers walk as they take part in a rescue operation after a heavy snowfall in Murree, Pakistan January 8, 2022.

Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR)/Handout via REUTERS

Hard Numbers: Pakistani winter tragedy, Nigerian bandits, Tianjin testing, Saudi princess free

22: The scenic Pakistani hill station of Murree , about an hour’s drive from Islamabad, is a staple honeymoon destination and resort for holiday travelers. But on Saturday, at least 22 people, mostly tourists, were killed by a blizzard that trapped thousands on the single highway to the city. Authorities were blamed for not issuing weather advisories, nor coming to the aid of those stuck in their cars for hours.

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Women in politics whose names you should know in 2022

Was it the year of the woman? Angela Merkel left the political stage. New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern and Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen were given gold stars for their respective responses to the pandemic. And Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya emerged as Belarus’ democracy warrior.

As COVID lingers – and thrives – it’s clear that 2022 will be packed with immensely complicated political problems for all countries. Many female leaders will be at the forefront of efforts to meet complex domestic and international challenges over the next 12 months. Here are four of them.

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Afghanistan’s next generation: a student shares her perspective on the US withdrawal
Afghanistan’s Next Generation: A Student Shares Her Perspective on the US Withdrawal | GZERO World

Afghanistan’s next generation: a student shares her perspective on the US withdrawal

Shaista is a 22-year-old university student in Kabul, Afghanistan, and since she was two years old, her country has been occupied by American forces. Although she was fortunate to grow up in a relatively privileged situation with the ability to get an education, she says that nevertheless "the fear of losing my life has always been there." She shares her thoughts on the US troop withdrawal announcement and how worried she is about a Taliban takeover of her country.

Watch the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer episode.

Gabriella Turrisi

Women in power: Chile’s Michelle Bachelet

Whose job is it to keep an eye on the governments that kill, torture, and displace people? The officials who turn back asylum-seekers, abuse migrants, jail journalists, or smash the skulls of peaceful protesters?

That's more or less a day at the office for Michelle Bachelet. As the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights since 2018, the former two-time leftwing president of Chile is perhaps the most visible and influential voice on human rights in the world today.

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