The line graph illustrates the proportion of women’s participation in parliament in Germany,Italy,France,the United Kingdom, and Belgium between 2000 and 2012.
Overall, all countries experienced a significant increase, although Belgium showed a slight decline at the end of the period.
In 2000, the percentage of female members of parliament in Belgium stood at around 17%, while the corresponding figure for the UK was almost 5%. Over the 12-year period, the UK demonstrated a dramatic upward trend, reaching a peak of approximately 23%. In contrast, during the same period of time Belgium increased marginally,reaching its highest figure at about 25%, before declining modestly in the final year to stand at 23%.
At the beginning of the period, female representation in the Franch parliament stood at around 25%. Similarly, the figure for Italy was approximately 26%, whereas Germany’s proportion of female members of the national parliament was almost 35% at the same time. All three countries experienced steady growth until 2008, with France and Germany experienced a minor growth, reaching their highest levels at about 30% and 36% in 2012. However, Italy remained relatively higher throughout, recording the largest share at around 40% by the end of the period.