ABSTRACT
The representation of women was a priority issue for the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action adopted by 189 countries at the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women. It was promoted by a range of multilateral bodies, including the United Nations, the European Union, the Inter-parliamentary Union and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). The underrepresentation of women has become widely associated with problems of ‘democratic deficit’ and donor agencies have focused attention on it as part of strategies to strengthen democratic accountability and good governance. It is also a cause that has been taken up by new and existing non-government organisations, including those operating at regional or international levels.
