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Democratic systems, even those in which there is a requirement of women representatives, are not necessarily gender-neutral. For example, women tend to be interrupted more often than men, or they are not given the floor as often. They may also be pressured by peers not to bring certain issues up because there are more pressing matters at stake (@criadoperez2020Invisible women: exposing data bias in a world designed for men).

This is without even accounting for the level of violence at which women are exposed to, even within the parliament itself. There are records of verbal abuse in the UK, and all the way to actual physical abuse in other parts of the world. Apparently, there is a correlation between being a woman and not seeking re-election for the post.

Literature Note: Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Perez

tags: #bias-in-democracy