On the road to parity: supporting young women in politics

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 16256 | 16 September 2025

Signatories:

Ms Aysu BANKOĞLU, Türkiye, SOC ; Mr Gergely ARATÓ, Hungary, SOC ; Ms Petra BAYR, Austria, SOC ; Ms Larysa BILOZIR, Ukraine, ALDE ; Ms Laura CASTEL, Spain, UEL ; Ms Sevilay ÇELENK, Türkiye, UEL ; Mr Edmunds CEPURĪTIS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Yunus EMRE, Türkiye, SOC ; Ms Edite ESTRELA, Portugal, SOC ; Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO, Monaco, ALDE ; Ms Etilda GJONAJ, Albania, SOC ; Ms Gökçe GÖKÇEN, Türkiye, SOC ; Ms Hripsime GRIGORYAN, Armenia, SOC ; Baroness Ruth HUNT, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Bisera KOSTADINOVSKA-STOJCHEVSKA, North Macedonia, SOC ; Mr Berdan ÖZTÜRK, Türkiye, UEL ; Ms Catia POLIDORI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Ms Agnes Sirkka PRAMMER, Austria, SOC ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Georgios STAMATIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Namık TAN, Türkiye, SOC ; Ms Derya TÜRK-NACHBAUR, Germany, SOC

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

Young women are the least represented amongst political leadership, as Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) data indicate that less than 1% of parliamentarians are young women. However, their participation in politics is especially important, as young women in all their diversity are leading calls for change on issues like climate change, social justice and gender equality.

Women’s right to equal and inclusive representation in decision-making remains elusive, as young women who engage, or wish to engage, in political life face systemic barriers, including gender-based discrimination, online and offline violence, ageism, unequal access to resources and under-representation in leadership roles. These challenges are often intensified by intersectional discrimination affecting young women from marginalised groups.

In its Resolution 2111 (2016) "Assessing the impact of measures to improve women’s political representation", the Parliamentary Assembly called for the implementation of gender parity as “the ultimate goal in political representation”. Without more young women entering politics and remaining in political life, the goal of parity will remain a constantly moving target.

The Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029 underlines the need to encourage and support action to facilitate women’s participation in elections at the European, national, regional and local levels, including young women and women from marginalised groups.

This motion follows on Resolution 2615 (2025) “Promoting inclusive participation in parliamentary life: gender equality, accessibility and inclusive policies”, by specifically addressing the situation of young women in politics and the need to support them.

The Assembly should address the barriers affecting young women’s participation in politics, which reflect broader patterns of gender inequality and exclusion, and recommend strategies to foster safer and more inclusive political environments. Supporting the participation of young women is essential not only for gender equality and youth inclusion, but for the good health and legitimacy of our democratic institutions.