The National Assembly’s overall Gender Responsiveness Score (GRS) for 2025–2026 is 1.0 — the House addressed female MNAs’ total agenda at the same rate as male MNAs’. However, disaggregated by agenda type, three categories fall below parity: motions for discussion on matters of public importance (GRS 0.1), proposals to amend House rules (GRS 0.2), and private member bills (GRS 0.8).
How this is measured
The GRS is calculated for each agenda category as the ratio of female MNAs’ addressed rate to male MNAs’ addressed rate. FAFEN computes GRS scores across nine agenda types — including questions, bills, motions, resolutions, and rule-amendment proposals — using Orders of the Day and daily bulletin for all 84 sittings from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026. An addressed item is one that was debated, resolved, or formally responded to during the year.
Why this matters in parliamentary terms
An aggregate GRS of 1.0 is a significant positive finding — it indicates the National Assembly is not systematically deprioritising female MNAs’ agenda overall. But the aggregate conceals category-level disparities that bear directly on how members exercise independent legislative initiative. Parliamentary questions — the most rule-governed and routinely processed form of agenda — achieve full parity (GRS 1.0). The three categories that fall below parity are precisely those where institutional discretion is greatest: setting the floor for national debates, shaping procedural rules, and advancing independent legislation. The pattern is analytically consistent: gender equity in parliamentary treatment holds where procedure is strict and uniform; it breaks down where discretion determines whose agenda is heard. This finding calls for a category-specific response from the House, not a headline-level reassurance.
Source: FAFEN Women Parliamentarians Performance Report 2025–2026, Section 05 and Table 8. Data period: 1 March 2025 – 28 February 2026.
