Power Slipping Away: Decline in Women’s Political Leadership Demands Urgent Action in Africa
Written By Maxine Ansah
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Despite decades of advocacy and incremental progress, women’s political leadership is facing a sobering reversal. UN Women’s latest Women Political Leaders 2025 report reveals that the number of women in executive political roles globally is not only stagnating but declining. The situation is especially critical for African countries, where deeply rooted gender norms, political violence and underinvestment in gender equality institutions continue to stall women’s access to the highest levels of power.
As of June 2025, only 27 countries around the world have a woman serving as Head of State or Government. While this number has grown modestly from 21 five years ago, 103 countries have never had a woman in their top executive office. In Africa, only a handful of countries have ever elected or appointed women to such roles. The continent, home to 54 nations, remains largely male-dominated at the executive level.
The regression is also evident in ministerial leadership. Globally, women hold just 22.9 per cent of Cabinet posts leading ministries, a decline from 23.3 per cent in 2024. The number of parity cabinets, defined as those where at least 50 per cent of ministers are women, has dropped from 15 to just nine within a year. At the same time, the number of countries with no women ministers has increased from seven to nine.
Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, described the trend as a crisis of inclusion.
“The world is witnessing the erosion of women’s political leadership at the very moment we need inclusive decision-making the most,” she said. “When women are excluded from the highest levels of leadership, we all lose.”
In Africa, these global trends resonate deeply. According to the Women Political Leaders 2025 report, women in sub-Saharan Africa currently occupy just 27 per cent of national parliamentary seats. While this figure is above the global average of 27.2 per cent, it still reflects a slow and uneven path to parity. Some African countries, like Rwanda, continue to lead globally with 64 per cent women in parliament. Yet others lag behind, with a few registering less than 10 per cent female representation.
At the local level, women make up only 26 per cent of elected members in local deliberative bodies across sub-Saharan Africa. Although local governance can be a springboard for higher office, without meaningful structural support and visibility, it often becomes a ceiling rather than a ladder for women leaders.
The decline in executive leadership is unfolding within a broader backlash against gender equality. Women in politics, particularly in Africa, face increasing violence both online and offline. Threats, harassment and attacks serve to intimidate and silence women candidates and officeholders. These deterrents are compounded by the underrepresentation of women in powerful portfolios. Globally, men dominate the ministries of defence (87 per cent), finance (84 per cent) and foreign affairs (82 per cent), while women are most often relegated to ministries focused on gender, family and culture.
The number of ministries dedicated to gender equality is also shrinking, from 80 in 2020 to just 74 in 2025. These institutions are critical for integrating gender-responsive policies and supporting women’s leadership. Their decline reflects a dangerous deprioritisation of gender equality in governance.
Yet, there is clear evidence that women’s political leadership transforms governance. In India, for example, villages led by women saw 62 per cent more drinking water projects than those led by men. In Norway, increased representation of women in municipal councils led to expanded childcare coverage. Across Africa, women parliamentarians have pushed for progressive reforms on gender-based violence, social protection and reproductive rights, often working across party lines in parliamentary caucuses.
UN Women is urging governments, including those in Africa, to adopt temporary special measures such as quotas, strengthen protections against political violence and commit to parity in executive appointments. These actions are not only matters of justice but are essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and fulfilling the promises of the Beijing Platform for Action.
“Women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in decision-making is not only a matter of justice – it is essential to fulfilling the promises of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Bahous. “It is time to turn commitments into concrete action.”
For African countries, this moment calls for bold leadership and transformative change. Investing in gender-responsive institutions, protecting women in politics, and rethinking how power is distributed within Cabinets and parliaments are urgent priorities. Without these steps, the continent risks further marginalising half its population from shaping its future.
