WOMEN’S POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN AFRICA: POLITICAL VIOLENCE TARGETING WOMEN, POLITICAL PARTIES AND POLICY INTERVENTIONS
type: CreativeWork
description: My dissertation examines women’s political representation in Africa. While there have been great strides in women’s representation in certain African countries, especially in those countries with a robust gender quota law, women’s inclusion in politics and government has been uneven across the region and though women’s inclusion holds great promise for the advancement of rights, there can also be considerable challenges that arise as women’s presence alters the form, nature, and contents of politics (Beckwith, 2010). My research extends previous research, which has almost exclusively examined this relationship through single case studies. I carry out both cross-sectional analyses exploring all countries in Africa and also a case study of Kenya. My first essay (chapter 2) and second essay (chapter 3) are cross national studies while my third and last essay (chapter 4) is a case study of a women’s rights organization in Kenya. Bringing in a gendered perspective, I explore in my first empirical chapter how women’s representation in parliaments influences political violence targeting women. This has broad implications for policymakers and academics seeking to implement policies, such as gender quotas, aimed at enhancing women’s participation and inclusion in government and politics. My second empirical chapter examines political parties in African countries and how women’s inclusion in the structure of party organizations shapes women’s representation and attainment of leadership positions in government. I argue that political parties are a key component for women’s advancement in politics given their gatekeeping role and centrality in the recruitment and candidate selection process (Kunovich and Paxton, 2005; Pruysers et. al 2017). Focusing on women’s wings and women’s representation in the national executive committee, my research shows that women’s inclusion on the national executive committee is most important for furthering women’s representation in parliaments, wh…
abstract: My dissertation examines women’s political representation in Africa. While there have been great strides in women’s representation in certain African countries, especially in those countries with a robust gender quota law, women’s inclusion in politics and government has been uneven across the region and though women’s inclusion holds great promise for the advancement of rights, there can also be considerable challenges that arise as women’s presence alters the form, nature, and contents of politics (Beckwith, 2010). My research extends previous research, which has almost exclusively examined this relationship through single case studies. I carry out both cross-sectional analyses exploring all countries in Africa and also a case study of Kenya. My first essay (chapter 2) and second essay (chapter 3) are cross national studies while my third and last essay (chapter 4) is a case study of a women’s rights organization in Kenya. Bringing in a gendered perspective, I explore in my first empirical chapter how women’s representation in parliaments influences political violence targeting women. This has broad implications for policymakers and academics seeking to implement policies, such as gender quotas, aimed at enhancing women’s participation and inclusion in government and politics. My second empirical chapter examines political parties in African countries and how women’s inclusion in the structure of party organizations shapes women’s representation and attainment of leadership positions in government. I argue that political parties are a key component for women’s advancement in politics given their gatekeeping role and centrality in the recruitment and candidate selection process (Kunovich and Paxton, 2005; Pruysers et. al 2017). Focusing on women’s wings and women’s representation in the national executive committee, my research shows that women’s inclusion on the national executive committee is most important for furthering women’s representation in parliaments, wh…
author: Kimondo, Gathoni
language: en
keywords: Women's Political Representation: Africa
date published: 2024-06-07
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:32:47Z
provider: University of Houston
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Houston

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/10657/17790