Enhancing Women's Representation in Liberian Parliament

Abstract: In 2011, Liberia saw a drop in women’s representation in Parliament from 14% to 11.65%. In an effort to understand and aid in reversing this declining trend, this thesis aims to highlight the barriers to and strategies for enhancing women’s participation in the Liberian Parliament. To accomplish this goal 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed via academic and context-specific documents, and a 3-part theoretical framework. Findings show that women progress through the first two transitions of the legislative recruitment process at a lower rate than men due to supply-led barriers in the first transition which include lack of ambition, education, resources and media access, and demand-led barriers which include lack of political party and constituent support in the second transition. This is largely the result of the lack of presence women and girls have in the public sphere, media agencies, political parties and legislature. As such, strategies to enhance gender representation in Liberian Parliament must reinforce entry-points for women in decision-making positions outside the domestic sphere.