Political representation of women. How does Romania stand in comparison with other European Union countries?

Romania continues to have poor representation of women in parliamentary, European Parliament, local council, and mayoral positions compared to other European Union countries, according to official data from 2025 from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).

In terms of women's representation in the European Parliament, Romania ranks second to last in the EU, with only 15.2% of MEPs being women, while Cyprus ranks last with 0%, as all six Cypriot MEPs are male. Among EU member states, this low level of female representation in the European Parliament is also found in Malta (16.7%), followed by Lithuania (18.2%) and Latvia (22.2%), while the EU average is 38.6%. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the Nordic countries. In Sweden (61.9%) and Finland (60%), the percentage of women exceeds that of men, and in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Spain, gender representation among MEPs is equal (50/50).

In terms of women's representation in national parliaments, data compiled by EIGE in 2025 shows that Romania has a 22% share of female parliamentarians in both chambers, with the EU average being 33.6%. In this regard, Romania ranks third from last in the EU, ahead of only Cyprus (14.3%) and Hungary (15.6%), but behind countries such as Slovakia (22.7%), Greece (23.9%), and Bulgaria (25%). No European country has a majority of female deputies and senators who are members of national parliaments. Instead, the highest values are observed in Finland (46%), Sweden (44.8%), Denmark (44.7%), and Belgium (44.2%).

Within the political structures at the level of local councils, the data aggregated by EIGE for 2025 show that Romania ranks last among EU member states, with women representing only 8.9% of local councils, far behind the next ranked countries: Greece (20.2%), Cyprus (20.8%) and Germany (24.7%). The EU average for women's representation in local councils is 34.9%, with Finland (45%), Spain (42.8%), Sweden (42.5%), and France (42%) occupying the top positions.

A similar situation is observed in the proportion of women holding the position of mayor. Only 6.5% of mayors in our country are women, far below the European Union average of 18.9%. Other EU countries with low representation of women among mayors are Greece (8%), Latvia (9.3%), and Ireland (9.7%), while at the opposite end of the spectrum, with good representation, are Finland (39%), Sweden (36.9%), and the Netherlands (31%).

Last but not least, in terms of women's representation in county councils, Romania is below the European average of 36.4%, with a percentage of 23.4%, ranking only ahead of the Czech Republic (21.3%), Slovakia (17.7%), Latvia (17%), and Hungary (16.2%). In Romania, the counties with the highest proportion of women representatives in county councils are Dâmbovița (40%), Galați (37.1%), Vâlcea (36.4%), and Hunedoara (36.4%). In contrast, the lowest representation of women is found in the counties of Mureș and Neamț, with only 8.6% each, and in Brașov (11.4%).

The low representation of women in political decision-making positions in Romania indicates a lack of internal democracy within political parties and the ineffective functioning of mechanisms designed to ensure equal opportunities in access to power. The underrepresentation of women limits political pluralism and diversity of perspectives in the decision-making process, affecting the quality of public policies and their ability to respond to the needs of society as a whole. At the same time, this situation reflects the persistence of structural and cultural barriers, such as gender stereotypes and norms, and phenomena of gender-based violence and harassment in the political sphere.

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Data source: The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)

https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs/browse/wmidm/wmidm_pol

Data processing and text design: Delia Bădoi

Infographic: Pascalone Media SRL

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