A qualitative study on the relationship between female representation in government and the effects on policymaking

Abstract

Despite the attainment of democracy resting on the government’s ability to be representative of its population, the participation of women in national legislatures remains restricted worldwide. This paper will embark on a qualitative research design to explore the relationship between the rise in the number of women in the Singapore Parliament and the resulting change in policies regarding family planning and work-life balance. It aims to prove that more women in legislative office will result in policies better reflecting women’s interest. As such, it will explore the factors limiting female representation in government, examine theories on political representation, detail the changes in policies while contrasting it to the number of women in power, and provide a policy recommendation to rectify the issue of gender inequality of governments.