Today there is a wealth of research on women’s legislative representation and the factors contributing to it. For example, proportional representation in large multi-member districts and an egalitarian political culture are commonly associated with high rates of women’s representation. However, in the developing world findings are less solid and there is little consensus on the salience of various explanatory variables (for example, political culture or electoral system type) on women’s descriptive representation. In this article, I explore the possibility that the divergent findings that characterise the discipline stem from the different dynamics at work in developed and developing countries. My results indicate that development by itself has a positive and significant impact on the percentage of female representatives. Development also interacts with other variables (for example, women’s participation in the workforce and quotas) in determining the level of women’s representation.
BallingtonJulieDahlerupDrude (2006) Gender quotas in post-conflict states: East Timor, Afghanistan, and Iraq. In: DrudeDahlerup (ed.) Women, Quotas, and Politics. New York: Routledge, pp.249–58.
2.
BauerGretchen (2008) Electoral gender quotas for parliament in East and Southern Africa. International Feminist Journal of Politics10(3): 347–67.
3.
BauerGretchenBrittonHannah E (2006) Women in African parliaments: A continental shift. In: GretchenBauerBrittonHannah E (eds) Women in African Parliaments. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, pp.1–44.
4.
BlaydesLisaLinzerDrew A (2008) The political economy of women’s support for fundamentalist Islam. World Politics60(4): 576–609.
5.
BurnsNancySchlozmanKay LehmanVerbaSidney (2001) The Private Roots of Public Action: Gender, Equality, and Political Participation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
6.
CaulMiki (1999) Women’s representation in parliament: The role of political parties. Party Politics5(1): 79–98.
DahlerupDrudeLeyenaarMonique (eds) (2013) Breaking Male Dominance in Old Democracies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
12.
DarcyRobertWelchSusanClarkJanet (1994) Women, Elections, and Representation, 2nd edn.Lincoln: Nebraska University Press.
13.
FishSteven M (2002) Islam and authoritarianism. World Politics55(1): 4–37.
14.
FranceschetSusanKrookMona LenaPiscopoJennifer M (2012) The Impact of Gender Quotas. New York: Oxford University Press.
15.
GithensMarianneNorrisPippaLovenduskiJoni (1994) Different Roles, Different Voices: Women and Politics in the United States and Europe. New York: Harper Collins College.
16.
HenigRuthHenigSimon (2001) Women and Political Power. New York: Routledge.
17.
HillDavid B (1981) Political culture and female representation. Journal of Politics43(1): 159–68.
18.
HughesMelanie MPaxtonPamela (2008) Continuous change, episodes, and critical periods: A framework for understanding women’s political representation over time. Politics and Gender4(2): 233–64.
IversenTorbenRosenbluthFrances (2008) Work and power: The connection between female labor force participation and female political representation. Annual Review of Political Science11(1): 479–95.
27.
JaquetteJane SWolchikSharon L (1998) Women and Democracy: Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
28.
KapsteinEthan BConverseNathan (2008) Why democracies fail. Journal of Democracy19(4): 57–68.
29.
KarpJeffreyBanducciSusan (2008) Political efficacy and participation in twenty-seven democracies: How electoral systems shape political behaviour. British Journal of Political Science38(2): 311–34.
30.
KenworthyLaneMalamiMellissa (1999) Gender inequality in political representation: A worldwide comparative analysis. Social Forces78(1): 235–68.
31.
KrookMona L (2009) Quotas for Women in Politics: Gender and Candidate Selection Reform Worldwide. New York: Oxford University Press.
32.
KrookMona L (2010a) Women’s representation in parliament: A qualitative comparative analysis. Political Studies58(5): 886–908.
33.
KrookMona L (2010b) Why are fewer women than men elected? Gender and the dynamics of candidate selection. Political Studies Review8(2): 155–68.
34.
LeysColin (2010) Politics and Change in Developing Countries. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
35.
LovenduskiJoniNorrisPippa (eds) (1993) Gender and Party Politics. London: Sage.
36.
McAllisterIanStudlarDonley T (2002) Electoral systems and women’s representation: A long term perspective. Representation39(1): 3–14.
37.
MarshallMonty GGurrTed RDavenportChristian. (2002) Polity IV, 1800–1999: Comments on Munck and Verkuilen. Comparative Political Studies35(1): 40–45.
38.
MatlandRichard E (1998) Women’s representation in national legislatures: Developed and developing countries. Legislative Studies Quarterly23(1): 107–29.
39.
MolyneuxMaxime (2002) Gender and the silence of social capital: Lessons from Latin America. Development and Change33(2): 167–88.
40.
NechemiasCarol (1994) Democratization and women’s access to legislative seats: The Soviet case, 1989–1991. Women and Politics14(3): 1–18.
41.
NorrisPippa (2006) The impact of electoral reform on women’s representation. Acta Politica41(2): 197–213.
42.
PaxtonPamela (1997) Women in national legislatures: A cross national analysis. Social Science Research26(4): 442–64.
43.
PaxtonPamelaKunovichSheri (2003) Women’s political representation: The importance of ideology. Social Forces82(1): 87–114.
RuleWilma (1987) Electoral systems, contextual factors and women’s opportunity for election to parliament in twenty-three democracies. Western Political Quarterly40(3): 477–98.
48.
Saint GermainMichelleMetoyerCynthia C (2008) Women Legislators in Central America Politics, Democracy and Policy. Austin: University of Texas Press.
49.
SawerMarian (2010) Women and elections. In: LawrenceLeDucNiemiRichard GNorrisPippa (eds) Comparing Democracies 3: Elections and Voting in the 21st Century. London: Sage.
50.
SawerMarianTremblayManonTrimbleLinda (eds) (2006) Representing Women in Parliament: A Comparative Study. London: Routledge.
51.
Schwindt-BayerLeslie (2010) Political Power and Women’s Representation in Latin America. New York: Oxford University Press.
52.
Schwindt-BayerLeslieMishlerWilliam (2005) An integrated model of women’s representation. Journal of Politics67(2): 407–28.
53.
SquiresJudith (1996) Quotas for women: Fair representation?Parliamentary Affairs49(1): 71–88.
54.
SquiresJudith (2008) The constitutive representation of gender: Extra-parliamentary representations of gender relations. Representation44(2): 183–99.
55.
StockemerDaniel (2009) Women’s parliamentary representation: Are women more highly represented in (consolidated) democracies than in non-democracies?Contemporary Politics15(4): 429–43.
56.
StockemerDaniel (2011) Women’s parliamentary representation in Africa: The impact of democracy and corruption on the number of female deputies in national parliaments. Political Studies59(3): 693–712.
57.
ThamesFrank CWilliamsMargaret S (2010) Incentives for personal votes and women’s representation in legislatures. Comparative Political Studies43(12): 1575–600.
58.
TremblayManon (2007) Democracy, representation, and women: A comparative analysis. Democratization14(4): 533–53.
59.
TremblayManon (ed.) (2012) Women and Legislative Representation: Electoral System, Parties and Sex Quotas. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
60.
TrippAli MKangAlice (2008) The global impact of quotas: On the fast track to increased female legislative representation. Comparative Political Studies41(3): 338–61.
61.
TrippAli MIsabelCasimiroJoyKwesiga. (2008) African Women’s Movements: Changing Political Landscapes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
YoonMi Y (2001) Democratization and women’s legislative representation in sub-Saharan Africa. Democratization8(2): 169–90.
71.
YoonMi Y (2004) Explaining women’s legislative representation in sub-Saharan Africa. Legislative Studies Quarterly24(3): 447–68.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
