Women have a right to participate in any electoral role that is open to their fellow men. However, around the world, women are still underrepresented as voters, election officials, candidates and election observers. The Votes Without Violence project took a close look at the numbers of women that observers reported participating in elections in all capacities: overwhelmingly, women's participation levels still come in lower when compared to their fellow male citizens.
Male office agents were the most frequent victims of the incidents of psychological violence recorded on election day. Women voters, however, were more likely than male voters to be targeted by violent incidents.
As with economic violence, reported incidents of violence showed that women were targeted by psychological violence as part of mixed-gender groups.
Very few incidents of psychological violence occurred -- but where they did, women were more likely to be perpetrators, with little difference in who was targeted.
Women acting alone were a small percentage of the perpetrators of observed incidents of unspecified pre-election violence. Most perpetrators were in mixed-gender groups.
There were very few observed incidents of economic violence in the pre-electoral period. This violence included property damage, for example of campaign materials. Most victims of this violence were men.
Women acting alone were a small percentage of the perpetrators of observed incidents of unspecified pre-election violence. Most perpetrators were in mixed-gender groups.
In observed incidents of unspecified violence or aggression, women were 33% of the victims. Most observed incidents that were reported had both male and female victims (44%).
