Malawi
National Assembly
Data on women
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Basic information > About parliament
Speaker
Speaker
Catherine
Gotani Hara
(Female)
Year of birth
1973
Additional information
Elected on 19 June 2019.
Secretary general
Secretary General
Fiona
Kalemba
(Female)
Members
Current number of members, by sex
Men
The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
148
Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
Age
Average age of all members
Youngest member (years)
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
Youngest member
Fyness Magonjwa (Female)
Reserved seats and quotas
Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Notes
Some political parties allocate/reserve a certain percentage of seats for women.
Elections > Historical data on women
Women's suffrage
Date of independence
For countries that become independent after 1940
1964
Women’s right to vote
Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1964
National or local
Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes
Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Prior to independence, under British administration, women were granted the right to vote under the constitution of 1961. This right was confirmed at independence.
Women’s right to stand for election
Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1964
National or local
Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Notes
Stand for Election: Additional Notes on right to stand for election
Prior to independence, under British administration, women were granted the right to vote and stand for election under the constitution of 1961. These rights was confirmed at independence.
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament
Year in which first woman entered parliament
1964
First woman speaker
Year of first woman speaker
Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
2019
Specialized body - Women's caucus
Women's Parliamentary Caucus of Malawi
(January 2002)
Formal or informal
Formal
The caucus is open to male MPs
No
The caucus is cross-party
Yes
Notes
The Caucus was set up in 2002 and recognised as a Committee in 2010
There are rules governing the functioning of the caucus
Yes
Activities
Issues dealt with by the caucus
- The Caucus has considered a number of policy issues and gender-related law such as the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act of 2010, the Deceased Estates (Wills, Inheritance and Protection) Act of 2011 and the Gender Equality Bill passed in Parliament in 2013.
The Caucus has built networks with many women within and outside Malawi. Members have monitored activities that promote the economic empowerment of rural women. They have carried consultative meetings with the community in their constituencies on the issues which affect women: gender equality in political representation; securing better access to poorer women to microloans; securing sustainable access to clean water and securing better reproductive health.
- The Caucus lobbied the Department of Reproductive Health and the Ministry of Finance for an increase in the budget allocation on family planning in Malawi to ensure that the problem of maternal mortality is reduced in the country.
The Caucus has built networks with many women within and outside Malawi. Members have monitored activities that promote the economic empowerment of rural women. They have carried consultative meetings with the community in their constituencies on the issues which affect women: gender equality in political representation; securing better access to poorer women to microloans; securing sustainable access to clean water and securing better reproductive health.
- The Caucus lobbied the Department of Reproductive Health and the Ministry of Finance for an increase in the budget allocation on family planning in Malawi to ensure that the problem of maternal mortality is reduced in the country.
The caucus has a strategic plan or plan of action
Yes
The caucus has a communication plan
Yes
Contact information for the Committee
Address
Women's Parliamentary Caucus, National Assembly of Malawi P/Bag-B362
Lilongue
Malawi
Web site