This document provides an analysis of the Bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution, to provide for seat reservation for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly (HB 1349), with updated statistics on the number of women in the State legislatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It explores its implications, the concept of affirmative action, and use\nof temporary special measures to boost the numbers of women in the legislature.\nIt also explores the argument around the potential increase in the cost of\ngovernance that will come with the bill if passed and implemented. This\nincludes research into the National and National Assembly budget and impact of\nadditional seats in the legislature on these budgets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A key indicator for benchmarking democratic legislatures worldwide is\nits representativeness, particularly, the composition of women in parliament.\nIt is considered best practice for representative bodies like the National and\nState Houses of Assembly to have substantial representation of affected\npopulations, such as women, for them to influence policy outcomes<\/p>\n\n\n\n