Why are still almost 80 % of the world’s Parliamentarians men, and only 17% of government ministers are women? Why are there, in 2016, only 19 female Heads of State or Government? The study “The Female Political Career” analyses survey answers of 617 female and male politicians from 84 countries. It is designed to understand the non-legal barriers that women face in the different phases of the political lifecycle. “The Female Political Career” is the result of a cooperation with the World Bank, the Universities of Yale and California-Berkeley, and it is supported by EY.