Gender and Democracy

This briefing paper addresses the ?gender? dimension of democracy and focuses on the democratic representation and participation of women. Beyond this primary focus, paper examines the language of gender and questions of identity, theories of gender and how women are understood in society in general, and the role of women in democracy. The paper shows that as of 2010, women still only make up a little over 19% of all parliaments around the world, but this average conceals a range from a high of over 55% in Rwanda to a low of 16% in the United States. In light of this variation, the paper discusses the arguments and mechanisms for increased participation of women, as well as the empirical findings about women?s participation that will be of interests to policy makers and practitioners interested in the gendered dimensions of democracy.