Poland

Senate

Political system
Presidential-Parliamentary
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
100
Women
19
Percentage of women
19.0%

Speaker

Speaker
Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska (Female)
Date of birth: 05 May 1957
Additional information

Elected on 13 Nov. 2023.

Secretary general

Secretary General
Ewa Polkowska (Female)

Chairs of specialized bodies

Specialized body Theme Name Sex Age
Family, Seniors and Social Policy Committee Gender equality Magdalena Biejat Female 41

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age (2023-11)
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 0 0 3 4 7 21 37 8 1 0 81
Female 0 0 0 2 1 4 9 3 0 0 19
Totals per age interval 0 0 3 6 8 25 46 11 1 0 100
Total <= 45: 9 Total >= 46: 91
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
3.0% 3% 0.0%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
9.0% 7% 2.0%

Reserved seats and quotas

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

Notes: Legislated candidate quotas. The number of candidates who are women cannot be less than 35% of all candidates on the list. The number of candidates who are men cannot be less than 35 % of all candidates on the list.

Sources: Cf. Article 211 of Electoral Code (amended January, 2011).

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament
1919

First woman speaker

Year of first woman speaker
1997

Women’s suffrage

Women’s right to vote
1918
Restricted or universal suffrage
Universal
Women's right to stand for election
1918
Restricted or universal
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.

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