Women’s Political Participation and Representation

Matrilineal societies produce norms that reduce the gender gap in political participation

A recent study of countries across Africa found that matrilineality – inheriting land and kinship through the female line – is associated with substantially better gender equality in political participation. The analyses suggest that women participate more in matrilineal societies’ because men and women in those societies hold progressive norms about women’s role in the public sphere; female land ownership outside of matrilineal societies does not increase women’s political participation. The authors argue that these progressive norms emerge because women have intergenerational access to material and social resources. This research helps explain why short-term resource-based policies alone often fail to improve participation for women and suggests that sustained access to material and social resources could generate more promising outcomes in the long term.

Women’s political representation reduces legal discrimination against women

A recent study analyzed how women’s political representation affects substantive policy outcomes. Their cross-country analysis suggests that increasing women’s presence in legislatures and cabinets reduces legal discrimination against women’s economic opportunities. These effects depend on a country’s institutional context: the more democratic a country, the greater the effect of female legislators on gender equality. This research shows the importance of women’s descriptive political representation for achieving better substantive policy representation (Facty Friday Edition #19 also covered the relationship between women’s political representation and substantive policy outcomes).

The DRG Center recently completed its Women’s Political Participation and Leadership Assessment Framework. If you are interested in a WPPL assessment, contact Caroline Hubbard at chubbard@usaid.gov.

Do you have a study we should share for a future Facty Friday? Send an email to drg.el@usaid.gov!