As of January 2011, 115 of the world’s 194 countries were classified as electoral democracies (Freedom House 2011), meaning that well over half the countries in the world are governed by “representative” governments. Yet, relative to the total global population, women are significantly underrepresented in the political process. While women account for more than half of the world’s population (UN WomenWatch 2010, 75), they occupy only 18 percent of parliamentary seats around the world. In other words, less than one in five members of parliament is a woman (International Women’s Democracy Center 2008). Women occupy a critical mass – more than 30 percent – of parliamentary seats in only 23 countries. Additionally, women make up less than ten percent of world leaders and in only 13 countries do they hold the highest possible position in government (UN Women 2011). Moreover, women have not been granted the right to vote in a handful of countries including Brunei and the United Arab Emirates, and have only partial suffrage in Bhutan and Lebanon (International Business Times 2011).

            Over the past several decades, the issue of women’s political participation has become increasingly pertinent. While the number of women participating in the political process has certainly increased in recent years, their participation relative to that of men remains substantially lower. So, why is political participation by women so underrepresented relative to men? A number of political, socio-economic, and ideological barriers have been identified as hindering women’s political participation (Shvedova 2005). Some of these barriers include prejudice, cultural perceptions of women’s gender roles, lack of education, and a lack of political party support (Paxton and Kunovich 2003; World Movement for Democracy 2004).

Cultural perceptions and traditions of gender roles have acted as an obstacle to women engaging in the political process in many countries. Indeed, many women find themselves constrained by sexism within their respective cultures (Hardy-Fanta 1993, 154). Broadly speaking, life for many women has been described as “restrictive, oppressive, and subservient” (Guzmán 1976, 231-4). In many cultures, women are perceived to have “primary” responsibilities as wives and mothers (Karam 1999). In terms of participation in the political realm, certain cultures pressure women to be less assertive and more passive than men.

Illiteracy and a widespread lack of education have also been identified as major impediments to improving women’s political participation worldwide. In nearly every country around the world, literacy rates are much higher amongst men than women (Central Intelligence Agency 2011). In fact, out of the total number of illiterate people worldwide, women are estimated to outnumber men two to one (UNDP 1995). Empirical evidence demonstrates that countries with higher literacy rates and higher levels of education also enjoy higher levels of political participation by women (Goel 1970).

Similarly, another obstacle is the high prevalence of poverty among women. According to UN statistics, 70 percent of the 1.8 billion people that live in poverty are women (Shvedova 2005, 42). All too often, women are more concerned with earning enough money to survive than they are with engaging in politics. There is a general consensus that the eradication of poverty and increasing access to education for women will have a positive impact on increasing their political participation in the democratic process.

A fourth major obstacle to enhancing women’s political participation is an overall lack of party support for women candidates (Sperl 2011). The predominance of men in politics has contributed to a male-dominated political culture, thereby making it difficult for women to earn political positions or seek candidacy. To be sure, male political leaders have “disproportionate influence over party politics and women do not receive much support” (Parawansa 2005, 87).

            In spite of these barriers, there have been efforts around the world to promote women’s participation in the political process. To ensure a minimum number of women elected to office, many countries have instituted quota systems. These systems essentially give preference to a certain target demographic, in this case women. In practice, countries with quota systems are guaranteed to have a fixed number of women elected to political office. These systems, however, have drawn significant criticism. For instance, many argue that quota systems are not truly democratic because they do not allow voters to decide who is elected. Another criticism is that women are elected on the basis of their gender, not their qualifications. Yet, many continue to defend such systems arguing that they are designed to “compensate for actual barriers that prevent women from their fair share” of political representation (Dahlerup 2005, 143-4).

            The modern fight for enhancing women’s rights began in 1975 when the first world conference on women was held in Mexico City. Since then there have been numerous world conferences on women, most notably the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. This conference, referred to as the Platform for Action, emphasized women’s participation and representation in parliaments, as well as their impact on political decision-making (Noel 1995).

In order to ensure a growing number of women in politics, many groups and organizations have come together to provide funding and other aid to this movement. The United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), created in 2005, is dedicated to helping women find a political voice in their respective governments in addition to ensuring gender equality. UNDEF has provided annual grants to countries and organizations in order to promote human rights, gender equality, and women’s involvement in politics. To this end, the organization’s primary focus is to raise women’s awareness of their rights and help them understand how to exercise these rights. For example, UNDEF has worked to raise awareness of legal and constitutional tools that guarantee women’s equal rights, and draws on examples of women who have overcome obstacles to assume leadership roles.

There are a substantial number of other organizations dedicated to enhancing women’s political participation. UN Women, an entity of the UN created in 2010 to accelerated gender equality and the empowerment of women, focuses on promoting the political rights and political voice of women around the world. Other organizations include Search for Common Ground, Women’s Integrated Network, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union to name just a few. These and many other organizations are assisted by UNDEF. 

            While many steps have been taken towards enhancing women's political participation in the democratic process, there is still a lot of progress left to be made. Cultural perceptions of women's gender roles continue to constrain them from political participation. Illiteracy and low education levels act as impediments to political engagement. Similarly, high poverty rates amongst women deter their interest from politics. The male-dominated culture of politics makes it difficult for women to obtain positions of influence. Combating this obstacles remains the best hope for increasing women's involvement in the political process.