Although women represent more than 50% of Romania’s population, their participation in politics remains far below this proportion, and recent statistics show that, despite slow progress, the decision -making structures are dominated by men, the representation of women in public functions being insufficient and well below the European average.
The representation of women in politics remains a topic of intense debate in Romania and Europe
Legally, nothing prevents women from entering politics, but reality shows that their path to decision -making functions is much more difficult than that of men. Between social prejudices, closed power mechanisms and a political culture still dominated by men, women who want an active role in administration or legislative are experiencing often invisible but extremely powerful obstacles.
The 2024 elections have made a modest increase in the representation of women in the Romanian Parliament, but the country remains far from the European average and, especially, a real balance in political life. Only 21.72% of parliamentarians are women, ie 101 out of 465 places, according to data published by the Permanent Electoral Authority. Although this figure marks an improvement from the previous mandate (2020-2024), when only 18.5% of parliamentarians were women, progress is insufficient to reduce the gap from the rest of the European Union, where the average female representation in national parliaments is 30%.
Romania, at the tail of the European ranking
Compared to other European states, Romania remains among the most inequitable countries regarding women’s access to decision -making positions. In fact, it occupies the last place in the European Union, according to the latest report of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). With a score of 56.1 points out of 100, Romania is located with 14.9 points below the EU average of 71 points. This discrepancy becomes even more obvious when we compare Romania with leading countries in the field of gender equality. For example, Sweden leads the ranking with a score of 82 points, which reflects significant progress in promoting gender equality. In contrast, Romania remains at the bottom of the ranking, highlighting the need for urgent and efficient measures to approach persistent gender inequalities. Although modest progress has been made, Eiga warns that these achievements are fragile and can be easily reversible without continuous commitment and appropriate policies. “Gender equality is the foundation of a stronger Europe. The index for 2024 shows that progress is possible, but we will only maintain it by bold and sustained actions. For the responsible for the elaboration of policies and decision makers in the EU, everything is reduced to the following thing: to fully engage in favor of gender equality or to leave the structural. Gender equality is a solution to the biggest societal challenges we face.declares the director of Eige, Carlien Scheele.
Only 9% of local councilors are women
However, if at national level the situation is worrying, at the local level it becomes alarming. Following last year’s local elections, only 6.5% of mayors are women, which means 207 out of 3,179 mayors. And in the local councils, where important decisions are made for communities, women are insufficiently represented, occupying only 9% of the mandates of local councilor, in the context in which women represented 51.5% of the total population resident on January 1, 2023, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
In a further political landscape dominated by men, figures show that although women have equal rights on paper, reality pushes them away from power centers. Romania has had a woman prime minister and several ministers over the years, but these have been exceptions, not signals of a systemic change. The country’s key decisions continue to be made mainly by men, and without concrete measures to increase equity in politics, Romania risks remaining among the latest European states in terms of gender equality.
Representation only on paper
While other states of the European Union have implemented compulsory odds or support mechanisms for women in politics, in Romania their promotion remains at the latitude of parties, which often place them on electoral lists. This happens in the context in which the Constitution of Romania guarantees, through Art. 16, the equal opportunities between women and men in occupying public functions, and Law 202/2002 obliges political parties to implement positive actions to increase the representation of women at the decision -making level. In addition, Law 334/2006 stipulates that parties promoting women in eligible places benefit from additional financing from the state budget.
Women’s representation in politics: Romania, below the European average
However, the electoral laws include only vague mentions regarding the “representation of both sexes” on the candidates’ lists, without imposing mandatory minimum levels. In the absence of clear measures and sanctions for parties that do not respect gender balance, political reality remains far from the principles of legally established equality.
Conservative mentalities and gender discrimination
The parties are the main “filters” of political life, and the decisions regarding who are applying and what position are taken in restricted circles, where the masculine influence networks are dominant. Although the law allows women to apply, the reality is that parties rarely promote women in eligible positions.
In fact, the traditional perception of women’s role in society still affects their access to politics. Studies show that politicians are subjected to a harsher public poll than men: instead of being evaluated on the basis of skills, they are mostly criticized for personal life, physical appearance or dress style. A clear example is the way the press and political opponents treat women from public functions – while men are judged for their political decisions, women are the target of family life, physical appearance, tone or even sex life, which rarely happens in men. This double measure discourages many women from entering politics, fearing exposure to personal attacks that may not only affect them, but also their children or the whole family.
If there are strong support networks in other European states in other European states, in Romania such structures are poorly developed. Few women are promoted in executive functions or as party leaders. Without mentors and without access to the strategic resources inside the parties, women are often isolated and lacking the necessary support to access important positions, and equal opportunities in politics remains, for the time being, only a principle on paper. Without legislation that imposes gender levels, without real support from the parties and without a change of mentality that will encourage women’s participation, this gap will persist. If Romania will not take concrete measures to correct this inequality, not only women will have to lose, but also democracy itself. Finally, gender equality is not a favor, but a necessity for any fair, modern and powerful state.
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