We believe a fair, free and open society, and a prosperous, sustainable europe requires men and women to be equal in power, leadership and decision making.

Right now, women make up only 30.2% of European National parliaments. In 2017 only 18% of government ministerial positions worldwide were held by women. And in 2020 only four out of the 27 EU member states are led by women.

This is not right. This is not smart. If women aren’t in positions of power, their experiences and perspectives will not be taken seriously, if at all. We all lose by not benefiting from their talents and insights. Gender-based discrimination cannot continue - women and girls must not be held back from realising their ambition and potential.

That is why in 2016 the ALDE party launched the European Women’s Academy (EWA) of political leadership and empowerment. The EWA aims to promote gender equality in politics and decision-making across Europe by empowering women that want to be active in liberal politics. EWA is the leading network of its kind in Europe, and is a partnership between the ALDE party, The European Liberal Forum (ELF) and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF). 

Defending liberal principles of equality and inclusiveness have never been more important or more urgent. Supporting liberal women to engage freely in decision making and achieve their political goals is one of the most powerful and effective ways to do this.