Women in the Malaysian parliament: Do they matter?

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of women’s representation in the lower house (Dewan Rakyat) of the Malaysian Parliament. It is an attempt to see whether women representatives in the Dewan Rakyat are able to make any impact or difference in parliament, in the context of making policy output more women-friendly. Available studies conducted mainly in the West have shown that women legislators are more responsive to women’s interest than their male counterparts, developing distinctive sets of concerns and priorities and taking leading parts in formulating policies that favour women. Through textual analysis of nine years of the Malaysian Parliament (1999-2007), this paper examines the issues that have been introduced and discussed by the women and the impact they made in parliament. It also reveals the critical actors initiating or introducing women-related issues.