Representation and participation in public institutions – A gender lens

Abstract

Women's representation and participation in public institutions - parliament, the public service, and the judiciary – as measured by SDG Indicator 16.7.1, is a critical area where governance statistics have begun to align with existing gender statistics frameworks. This indicator measures the representation of different social groups in decision-making positions. Each of the three parts of the indicator — 16.7.1(a), (b), and (c) — has specific data sources, global data compilation mechanisms, and distinct challenges related to data collection and comparability. However, understanding gender dynamics in public institutions requires more than collecting data on descriptive representation. It calls for data on the roles women hold, the sectors they work in, how effectively they can exercise power, and the institutional mechanisms that support their voice, influence, and advance gender equality.

This paper contributes to the growing literature on gender equality in representation by showing how SDG indicator 16.7.1 can facilitate gender-sensitive analysis and reveal gender inequalities within public institutions. It identifies persistent measurement gaps specific to each sector – parliament, public service, and judiciary - and argues that without high-quality, comprehensive, timely, and comparable sex-disaggregated data, gender inequalities in decision-making remain hidden, hindering reform and slowing progress toward inclusive and equitable societies.