External collaborator to conduct research and draft a report on women’s progress and setbacks in parliament (2027 edition)

The IPU seeks an external collaborator/consultant to conduct a home-based desk review, analyse IPU data and draft the 2027 edition of the annual report on women’s progress and setbacks in parliament, focusing on elections held in 2026. The consultant will produce a 10-page report, develop accompanying graphics/tables and support production and dissemination activities within a maximum of 40 working days between 16 November 2026 and 30 April 2027.

Responsibilities

• Carry out a desk review between 16 November 2026 and 10 January 2027 related to parliamentary elections/renewals held in 2026, including through your own research and an analysis of data provided by the IPU
• Analyse results of elections and the numbers and percentages of women elected, using IPU data (drawing on information provided by parliaments and included in IPU’s Parline)
• Compare election results with previous results (drawing on IPU data)
• Assess the political situation of the countries where elections held in 2026 resulted in great progress or a significant setback in the election of women
• Identify the existence and types of electoral gender quotas used (drawing on existing data from the IPU’s Parline, the Quota Project database, and own research)
• Document the number of women candidates (where available)
• Report on the prevalence of acts of violence against women candidates
• Identify initiatives taken to boost the election of women
• Analyse intersecting forms of discrimination and related challenges faced by women in elections and in office, and measures taken to address them
• Analyse advancements in equal parliamentary leadership (women Speakers, women committee chairs, etc.)
• Assess adoption of internal policies and parliamentary practices that support work-life balance and promote gender equality in parliamentary work or any other initiatives aimed at transforming parliament into a more gender-sensitive institution
• Assess diversity among elected women
• Carry out additional research during the drafting process on elections for which results were not yet available by 10 January 2027, and factor those results into the analysis and report
• Monitor and cross-check data on electoral gender quotas applied in 2026 parliamentary elections
• Identify trends and lessons learned from successes achieved and challenges faced, and highlight interesting national, regional or international practices
• Draw main conclusions about the global, regional and national levels of both progress and setbacks for women’s participation in parliament based on elections and appointments in 2026, including in-depth analysis of specific countries that have encountered remarkable progress or setbacks since the previous election
• Connect research findings with IPU’s studies, guidance and data, including on gender and other types of quotas, as well as on sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament
• Contribute to the development of graphics and tables, based on existing IPU templates as well as new ones to be defined, with a view to illustrating key data to be included in the report
• Draft and submit a 10-page report containing specified sub-topics and follow the schedule of drafts and incorporations: share a preliminary draft with the IPU (11 January 2027); incorporate comments (18–24 January 2027); share a second draft (25 January 2027); incorporate comments (28–31 January 2027); finalize and submit the final version of the report to the IPU (1 February 2027)
• Support the production and dissemination of the report, including: prepare key messages to support the launch of the report (2-10 February 2027); support proofreading of the report during layout (11-26 February 2027); comment on draft press releases and other materials (16-27 February 2027); prepare presentations and speeches on the report’s content as required (1-12 March 2027); provide briefing notes on specific themes or countries (15 March-30 April 2027)

Requirements

• At least five years’ relevant professional experience in the field of gender equality and women’s rights
• Excellent analysis and writing skills, proven skills in drafting reports and presenting and analysing data
• Published work on women’s participation in politics; recent research conducted in the field of women’s participation in parliament would be a strong asset
• Proficiency in tabulation and analysis using MS Excel
• Excellent drafting skills in English or French
• Expertise in data visualization an asset
• The assignment will include a home-based desk review, analysis of IPU data on women in parliament, the drafting of the report, support to its production, and the development of communication materials to help disseminate its findings
• The assignment is expected to be completed in a maximum of 40 working days, between 16 November 2026 and 30 April 2027
• Candidates should propose a daily rate and the expected number of days of work
• No travel or daily subsistence allowances will be covered by the IPU for this assignment
• Applications: Candidates should provide a curriculum vitae and a letter describing why they are the right person for this consultancy, including information about their availability to begin work
• One sample of published work on a related topic is required
• Candidates should propose a daily rate and the expected number of days of work

Skills

• Gender Equality Expertise
• Women’s Rights Knowledge
• Report Writing
• Data Analysis
• Data Tabulation
• MS Excel
• Data Visualization
• Research on Women in Politics
• Drafting Analytical Reports
• Desk Research
• Presentation of Data
• English Drafting
• Communication Materials Development

Languages

English, French