Gender equality does not stop at candidate nomination

This post is also available in:

The figures from the 2026 Faroese parliamentary election indicate that voter behaviour is also a significant part of the gender equality challenge

Of the 160 nominated candidates, 99 were men and 61 were women. This corresponds to a distribution of 62% men and 38% women. In other words, when considering all parties combined, the 60/40 threshold—commonly regarded by Demokratia as a minimum standard for gender balance—was not reached, even though full equality would imply a 50/50 distribution.

This is one aspect of ensuring gender equality. However, candidate nomination alone is not sufficient, as voter choice also plays a decisive role in determining which voices gain representation in a democratic system.

The results of the 2026 parliamentary election show that women receive fewer votes than men. On average, women received 186 votes, while men received 226. This difference results in more men being elected than women. Of the 99 male candidates, 23 were elected (23%), whereas 10 of the 61 female candidates were elected (16%).

In most parties, male candidates receive more votes on average than female candidates, although this is not the case across all parties. In Framsókn, Tjóðveldi, and Sjálvstýri, female candidates receive more votes on average than male candidates. Both Tjóðveldi and Framsókn share the characteristic that they performed better in the capital region than in the rest of the country. This suggests that part of the explanation may be that women face greater difficulty in securing votes outside the capital area.

These figures demonstrate that the challenge of achieving gender equality does not lie solely with the political parties, but also with voters. They further suggest that voter behaviour varies both geographically and politically.