Development, Democracy, and Women’s Legislative Representation: Re-Visiting Existing Explanations of Gender Variation in the World’s Parliaments

Previous studies have found that the substantial cross-national variation in women’s legislative representation is not explained by cross-national differences in socioeconomic development. We re-visit an existing study and demonstrate that economic development does matter. Accepted explanations fit rich nations much better than poor nations and obscure the effects of democracy on women’s representation in the developing world. We call for new theoretical models that better explain women’s political representation within developing nations, and we suggest that democracy should be central to future models. Women and International Development 206 International Center, Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824-1035 USA Phone: 517-353-5040; Fax: 517-432-4845; E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.wid.msu.edu