The full participation of women and men in a country’s political and decision-making processes as voters, candidates, elected officials and electoral management body (EMB) staff is crucial. Thanks to international instruments which lay the legal foundations to make this a reality, the increasing prioritization given to women’s empowerment by governments, the international community, civil society and businesses and an increasingly strong women’s movement, many positive developments have taken place and womenhave a greater say in how their countries are run than ever before. However, with women representing only 21.7% of world’s parliamentarians, in many countries they continue to be marginalized and underrepresented in political and electoral processes. Clearly, majorsteps still need to be taken before true gender equality is achieved in this arena.