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Since the US Presidential election last week, our collective thoughts and emotions seem to have been taken up by the enormity of what has occured and the weight of lies ahead. The stakes are unspeakably high, and it feels impossible to look away. Yet, in the global political landscape, what is unfolding in the US is not exceptional. We need not only look back at history to gain perspective, but also look out to learn lessons of vigilance, struggle, and even hope, from elsewhere.

In the lead up to the election and thereafter, women have become one of the most talked about subjects. Much of this has focused on the historic nature of Hillary Clinton’s candidacy and the challenges she has confronted as a woman in politics. In addition, Donald Trump’s attitude and actions towards women have also called into serious question their personal and political safety in US society.

This issue is no doubt live across the world. Globally, women have always been active participants in public life, whether as heads of state and government representatives, or fighting on the frontlines of change. Yet the implications and experiences of women in politics are not always the same. We offer some of the many accounts of women in politics as an ongoing record of caution and inspiration; Click here to read them.