Poland
Sejm
-
Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
View field in the data dictionary -
Presidential-Parliamentary
-
Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
View field in the data dictionary -
Bicameral
-
IPU membership
Current membership status
View field in the data dictionary -
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
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
460
-
Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
View field in the data dictionary -
136
-
Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
29.6%
Speaker
Click for historical data
Secretary general
No information available
Chairs of specialized bodies
| Specialized body | Theme | Name | Sex | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice and Human Rights Committee | Human rights | Kamila Gasiuk-Pichowicz | Female | 40 |
| Social Policy and Family Committee | Gender equality | Catherine Ueberhan | Female | 48 |
Data on age at the start of the legislature
Number of members, by age (2023-11)
| 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 | 0 | 2 | 57 | 56 | 41 | 75 | 82 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 325 |
| Female | 0 | 1 | 20 | 10 | 33 | 36 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 135 |
| Totals per age interval | 0 | 3 | 77 | 66 | 74 | 111 | 112 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 460 |
| Total <= 45: 146 | Total >= 46: 314 | ||||||||||
| Age at the last election or renewal | Overall | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.2% | |
| 17.4% | 13% | 4.6% | |
| 31.7% | 25% | 6.7% |
Reserved seats and quotas
-
There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
View field in the data dictionary -
No
-
Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote gender-balanced representation in parliament
View field in the data dictionary -
Yes
Notes: The Act of 5 January 2011 (Ustawa z dnia 5 stycznia 2011 r.) establishes that lists of candidates must include at least 35% of candidates of each sex. Lists that do not comply with this requirement must be corrected within three days, or their registration may be rejected by the Electoral Commission.
Sources: Articles 143, 146 and 147 of the Electoral Act for the Sejm of the Republic of Poland and the Senate of the Republic of Poland, as amended by article 2 of the Act of 5 January 2011. The Act was approved by Parliament on 5 January 2011, enacted by the President on 31 January 2011, and entered into force on 3 March 2011.
First woman in parliament
-
Year of first woman in parliament
Year in which the first woman entered parliament
View field in the data dictionary -
1919
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.
View field in the data dictionary -
1997
Women’s suffrage
-
Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1918
-
Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Universal
-
Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1918
-
Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
No information available
Notes: Decree N° 19694 (5 May 1931)
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.