Some of the earliest examples of quota implementation occurred in the Asian region. As such, Asia provides an interesting case study of women’s political participation. Despite a history of implementing reserved seats — or quotas — for women, the overall progress of women’s political participation remains slow. Even in Central Asia, where women’s participation and advancement were encouraged throughout the Soviet era, gains made by women during this time have eroded since the fall of the Communist regime.

Nonetheless, quota experimentation and implementation have played an integral role in the history of women’s political participation in Asia. Pakistan implemented ‘reservations’ as far back as 1956, and Bangladesh introduced reserved seats for women in the 1970s. Today, constitutionally mandated quotas exist in Bangladesh and India, while Pakistan, Indonesia and China maintain legislative quotas. In this region, quota provisions are more likely to be legislated than informally implemented by political parties.

The low rate of women’s political participation in Asia can be attributed in part to the reluctance or inability of party leaders to provide women members with the support necessary to assume leadership positions within their parties and elected governments. Women make up 16 percent of Asian parliaments — a number only marginally lower than the global average of 17 percent. However, India’s parliament is only 9 percent female, and Sri Lanka and Nepal demonstrate similarly low participation with only 5 and 6 percent respectively. Pacific island states have the lowest parliamentary representation of women in the world: Excluding Australia and New Zealand, women parliamentarians make up approximately 3 percent of all members, and five Pacific island countries — Micronesia, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu — have no women parliamentarians at all.

Asian women currently in office have achieved such positions not only through personal achievement, but also through quotas and familial relations to powerful men in their countries. Nonetheless, women’s overall presence in the region’s political arena contributes to a wider acceptance of women in politics and creates opportunities for other women to follow. Notably, a significant number of women have made remarkable political advances, rising to heads of state. Examples include Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino, President of the Philippines from 1986 - 1992, and Helen Clark, New Zealand’s second female Prime Minister, an office she took in 1999 and continues to hold today. Australia has the highest regional representation of women, with female members representing 28 percent of the body. In Afghanistan, where the establishment of post-war quotas elevated the number of women parliamentarians, representation is over 27 percent.

Although such advances are encouraging, the women of Asia have been marginalized both socially and economically, thereby reducing the opportunities for political participation. Consequently, many women are only now beginning to realize political independence and establish a presence in the political sphere. It is an important time to encourage women’s participation in this region as they enter the political space and augment their previous role in society.

Countries of Asia
Armenia
Australia
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Cambodia
China
Cyprus
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
East Timor
Fiji
Georgia
India
Indonesia[8]
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kiribati
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Malaysia[9]
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nauru
Nepal
New Zealand
Pakistan
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Republic of Korea
Samoa
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Sri Lanka
Tajikistan
Thailand
Tonga
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Viet Nam