Bahamas

House of Assembly

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Data on women

Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.

Current representation

Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber

Current number of members
39
Women
7
Percentage of women
17.9%

Speaker

Speaker
Patricia Deveaux (Female)
Date of birth: 02 Jun 1968
Additional information

Elected on 6 Oct. 2021.

Secretary general

No information available

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male No information available
Female
Total <= 45: - Total >= 46: -
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
- - -
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
- - -
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
- - -

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
No
Electoral quota for women
No

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament
1977

Notes: 1977: The first woman to be elected to Parliament was in 1982 to the Lower House.

First woman speaker

Year of first woman speaker
1997

Women’s suffrage

Date of independence
1973
Women’s right to vote
1961
Restricted or universal suffrage
Universal

Notes: Prior to independence, under British administration, adult male suffrage was introduced in 1959, although members of the electorate satisfying certain property qualifications also received a second vote. Women were granted the vote in 1961 and by 1964 all property qualifications had been abolished. The right to vote was confirmed at independence.

Women's right to stand for election
1962
Restricted or universal
No information available

Women's caucus

Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No