The line graph compares the proportion of women in parliament in five distinct European countries in a period of twelve years, commencing in 2000.
Overall, all categories witnessed an increase throughout the time shown. Furthermore, the UK and Italy remained the two countries that showed the least female member shares.
Looking at Spain and Belgium first, Spain started at roughly 26%, which was the second highest, after which it surged to around 35% in 2004 and then it reached a plateau, concluding at precisely 35% in 2012. Belgium, on the other hand, standing at approximately 23% in 2000, increased significantly to 35% in 2004 and stabilized for the next 4 years. Subsequently, it rose moderately to nearly 40% in 2012, overtaking Spain and Germany to become the country with the highest percentage of female members.
Regarding the remaining nations, Germany constantly exhibited a marginal increase throughout the period. It peaked at roughly 33% in 2012, becoming the third highest one, albeit starting as the highest. The UK and Italy, beginning at 17% and 2% respectively, both remained nearly stable in the first 4 years. While the UK showed an upward trend, Italy experience a slight surge to 22% in 2008 and then stabilized. Finally, they both concluded at roughly 23% in 2012.