Substantive Representation of Women Parliamentarians in Timor-Leste (original) (raw)

Analyzing an impressive array of countries, 'Substantive Representation of Women in Asian Parliaments' fills a considerable gap in the women in politics literature. With findings based on original interviews with leading political experts including parliamentarians, this collection goes beyond analyzing women's numerical presence in legislative bodies to understanding how myriad factors shape women's substantive representation. This book will be a vital resource for scholars and policymakers alike and anyone interested in advancing women's policy representation in Asia and beyond."-Dr Farida Jalalzai, Professor of Political Science, Virginia Tech "This edited volume offers a rich collection of ten Asian case studies on women's substantive representation, written by scholars from the region, cognizant of the wide-ranging diversity that can be found in the transregional perspective. As such, the book is an important contribution to the global study of gender and politics, more than often dominated by scholars working on Global North case studies and experiences. The authors engage with a variety of factors and thus contribute significantly to our understandings as well as theorizing of women's political participation not only in electoral politics but zooming into wider, underlying questions of advancing gender equality and suggesting relevant, context-sensitive critical interventions."-Dr Andrea Fleschenberg, Associate Professor, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Asian and African Studies "Joshi and Echle have compiled a must-read book about women's substantive representation in an understudied world region. The chapters examine how women and men parliamentarians act on women's interests in East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. They find that parliamentarians' ideas about men's and women's roles are formed through lived experiences and intersectional identities, but that institutions shape whether and how ideas become translated into policy. Their conclusions offer a potent reminder that women's presence does not always mean women's power."-Dr Jennifer M. Piscopo, Associate Professor of Politics, Occidental College "This book demonstrates how Asian parliamentarians have tackled policymaking for gender equality and to what extent they have achieved their agendas. It interests me specifically because I face the same problems in my everyday practice in Japan's Upper House. As a woman representative, I have been trying very hard to advance women's representation and gender equality. Gender equality in politics is no doubt a key to achieving gender equality in society. However, women MPs account for only approximately 14% of the Japanese Parliament, thereby making it difficult for me, as well as my female colleagues, to act for women and social minorities. The book offers abundant knowledge and information about gender equality and parliamentary politics. It encourages me to represent women descriptively as well as substantively. I recommend this book to many more parliamentarians inside and outside Asia, and also to researchers of gender studies globally."-Shizuka Terata, Member of the House of Councilors, Japan Combining data from nearly 100 interviews with national parliamentarians from ten Asian countries, the contributors to this book analyze and evaluate the advancement of gender equality in Asia. As of the year 2022, no country in Asia has gender parity in its parliament. Meanwhile, the proportion of national-level women parliamentarians in Asia averages a mere 20%. What is more important than simple descriptive representation, however, is whether outcomes for women are improving. Rather than focusing on numerical representation, the chapters in this book focus on the substantive representation of women. In other words, what do women and men parliamentarians do to advance women's well-being and gender equality? Using semi-structured interviews, the author of each chapter examines these efforts in the context of a specific Asian country. The case studies include Bangladesh