Representation and its importance for women's sexual and reproductive health and rights : Does the proportion of women in national parliaments matter for the extent to which legislation and policy guarantee women's sexual and reproductive health and right

Abstract: This thesis sets out to investigate if the proportion of women in the national parliament correlates with the extent to which national laws and policies guarantee women's sexual and reproductive health and rights. By conducting a cross-national comparison, this thesis contributes to the existing literature by offering an analysis of the relationship, utilizing a comprehensive measurement of states national legal and regulatory framework relating to women's sexual and reproductive health and rights. Further, it aims to offer an analysis of how the relationship appears in different regime-types, including both democratic and non- and partial democratic states. The results did not provide any support for a correlation between the proportion of women in the national parliament and the extent to which national laws and policies guarantee women's sexual and reproductive health and rights, regardless of the regime-type. While the results are inconsistent with the predictions of a correlation, this thesis is able to conclude that the concept of women's representation and how it may be connected to substantial changes in national legislation and policy is a complex relationship, worthy of further research.