Philippine E-Journals

Women's Parliamentary Representation in Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand

Maria Filipinas Capayas- Loquellano | Maria Myriam B. Bacud

 

Abstract:

One of the most striking global trends in recent years is the growing number of women elected to the post of prime minister or president. However, this has not translated into an increased parliamentary representation. This is evident despite the fact that studies have shown that a higher number of women in parliament generally contribute to stronger attention to human development projects, such as education, health care, environment and consumer protection. Therefore, this formed the need for this research on the factors affecting women’s participation in political leadership in parliament. The method utilized in the study was descriptive. Using purposive sampling, 45 women lawmakers in the parliaments of Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand participated in this research. They were chosen because of their own personal experiences in their countries’ electoral systems. Based on the survey and interviews, findings showed that the respondents, women-lawmakers, considered campaign or funding resources the most influential factor when they decided to run or vie for seats in parliament while the least influential was ethnic bias. There was no significant difference in the factors affecting the respondents’ representation when data were compared by nationality. Thus, it is recommended that women should be empowered by giving them due status, rights and responsibilities so that they could freely compete for parliamentary representation.