Country Reviews: Women’s Political Participation in South Asia.”

Governance in all South Asian countries is imbued with a predominantly patriarchal character. This is reflected in the fact that women form a disproportionately small segment of representatives in elected bodies across all levels of governance, and several studies have indicated that even those women who are elected as representatives suffer severe limitations on their participation. In cognizance of this fact, the women’s movement in South Asian countries has been  gaining strength in the last two decades, and demands for more equitable representation are being voiced across the sub-continent. Although some countries have introduced affirmative legislation to ensure a minimum level of representation of women in governance, such measures alone have been insufficient to make a significant sustainable impact on thep articipation of

women in governance.