Women’s Political Participation

About this Topic

We empower women to engage in political processes, and equip women to be informed voters, active members of political parties, and successful candidates. Working with local governments and partners we advance women’s rights and strengthen legal systems to reform policies that discriminate.

Latest Publications

  • Advancing Women’s Rights and Opportunities with Lotus Circle Funds

    Advancing Women’s Rights and Opportunities with Lotus Circle Funds

  • Beyond “Capacity”: Gendered Election Processes, Networks, and Informality in Local Governments in Nepal

    Beyond “Capacity”: Gendered Election Processes, Networks, and Informality in Local Governments in Nepal

  • Not Enough Time: Insight Into Myanmar Women’s Urban Experiences

    Not Enough Time: Insight Into Myanmar Women’s Urban Experiences

News and Highlights

  • Empowering Women, Building Communities: The Merauke Women’s School

    Empowering Women, Building Communities: The Merauke Women’s School

    A school in South Papua, Indonesia, is breaking the cycle of violence against women and empowering them to reclaim their voices in their communities.

  • What Advice Do Myanmar’s Female MPs Have for Women Candidates in 2020?

    What Advice Do Myanmar’s Female MPs Have for Women Candidates in 2020?

    As Myanmar’s historic reform process continues to evolve, more women are needed in leadership roles of all kinds, including in parliaments. Despite their low numbers, the positive contributions of women […]

  • Inspired by Father’s Wartime Experience, Meredith Ludlow and Marc Teillon Give Generously to Educate Young Women in Vietnam

    Inspired by Father’s Wartime Experience, Meredith Ludlow and Marc Teillon Give Generously to Educate Young Women in Vietnam

    A decade ago, Meredith Ludlow and her husband, Marc Teillon, journeyed to the coastal region of Núi Thành District, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, to the village of Chu Lai. Ludlow, a Lotus Circle advisor and member of The Asia Foundation’s President’s Leadership Council, was visiting the place where her father…

  • Myanmar: Women Breaking and Making the Rules

    Myanmar: Women Breaking and Making the Rules

    I was on the grounds of a textile factory an hour outside Mandalay, Myanmar. It was July 2017—peak monsoon season—and the combination of rain, heat, and an overnight bus ride […]

  • Advancing Gender Equality in Asia

    Advancing Gender Equality in Asia

    Earlier this year, the G7 launched the Gender Equality Advisory Council to promote the integration of gender equality and gender-based analysis across all G7 activities and outcomes. As part of […]

  • Reflections on the Gender 360 Summit

    Reflections on the Gender 360 Summit

    More than 300 gender and youth practitioners convened last month in Washington, DC, for the Gender 360 Summit to explore the theme of positive girl and boy development. Panels examined […]

  • No Women, No Growth

    No Women, No Growth

    The 2018 Chatham House International Policy Forum convened last week at a time of international angst. Two British cabinet ministers had resigned over Brexit negotiations, creating more uncertainty around the […]

  • Dawn: Election Mela aims to reduce rejected votes, increase turnout on polling day

    Dawn: Election Mela aims to reduce rejected votes, increase turnout on polling day

    Dawn newspaper in Pakistan highlights The Asia Foundation’s participation in an Election Mela, an event designed to raise awareness about voting and political participation. The Asia Foundation, in collaboration with […]

  • Nepal Elections: More Women Have a Seat at the Table, But Will They Have a Voice?

    Nepal Elections: More Women Have a Seat at the Table, But Will They Have a Voice?

    2017 is a milestone year for Nepal: millions of Nepalis voted in provincial and federal elections which ended last week, and earlier this year, the country held its first local […]

  • A Conversation with Nobel Laureate, Lotus Leadership Honoree Amartya Sen

    A Conversation with Nobel Laureate, Lotus Leadership Honoree Amartya Sen

    On October 12, The Asia Foundation’s Lotus Circle will honor Indian Nobel Prize-winning economist and philosopher, Amartya Sen, at the Lotus Circle Leadership Awards Gala in New York for his […]

  • Women and Leadership in Pakistan: A Conversation with Sofia Shakil

    Women and Leadership in Pakistan: A Conversation with Sofia Shakil

    Concerns over access to justice and women’s rights are high in Pakistan. The appalling revenge rape in mid-July of a 17-year-old girl, ordered by a tribal council, has again ignited […]

  • Toward a Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security in Asia

    Toward a Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security in Asia

    On a recent trip to Myanmar, I met with a former parliamentarian from Yangon to discuss women’s political participation in the country. When she served from 2010 to 2015, women […]

Latest Across Asia and the Pacific

  • The Asia Foundation Announces the 2025 Pacific Women Climate Leaders

  • Empowering Women in Shaviyani Atoll Maaungoodhoo, Maldives with Hydroponic Technology

  • Let’s Read Helps Advance Indonesian Literacy

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