Women-in-foreign-and-security-policies-Final

Despite relative progress made in several countries and multilateral organisations in recent years, women nonetheless remain largely under-represented. The numbers speak for themselves. Over two-thirds of UN countries have never had a woman leader. At the end of 2024, only 26 had a woman as head of state or government. With regard to ministerial positions, at the beginning of 2024 only 23 % of ministers with cabinet portfolios were women and their share was even lower in conflict-affected countries (19 %). Only 22 % of ministers of foreign affairs and 12 % of ministers of defence were women, compared to 67 % of ministers responsible for family and children and 51 % of ministers for social inclusion and development. As of 3 March 2025, the EU-27 had five female defence ministers (18.5 % – up from 4 % in 2007) and six female foreign ministers (22 %) (see Figure 1). Kaja Kallas is the third woman to serve as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have a higher than average share of women in defence posts, with eight female defence ministers (27.5 %).