Executive Summary
International Recognition and Women’s Political Representation: An Analysis of Five Unrecognized States details women’s political representation in unrecognized but self-governing states often ignored in international discourse. These states function much like recognized ones, with organized governments, election systems, economies, and social services. As a result, the rules and systems impacting women's political opportunities in these states merit examination.
This brief analyzes women's representation in five internationally unrecognized states—the Republic of Kosovo, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Kurdistan, the Republic of Somaliland, and the Republic of China—finding that three (Taiwan, Kosovo, and Kurdistan) exceed the global average of 27% for women’s representation, and one (Somaliland) has nearly 0% women's political representation.
Even though some states in this brief outperform most recognized countries regarding gender equality and women's representation, international recognition and UN membership are still critical in establishing an international obligation to women's rights. The case studies further explore how systems-level factors, such as election rules, voting systems, culture, international recognition, and state obligations, create opportunities for more women to be elected in the region.
Takeaways
- PR systems offer the most opportunities to advance women’s political representation, but they alone do not guarantee representative outcomes. Parties often place them at the bottom of the list (e.g., Somaliland and Northern Cyprus), showing a need to pair list systems with additional reforms.
- Countries that have made the most progress combine PR or semi-PR systems with well-enforced gender quotas. Kosovo, Kurdistan, and Taiwan exemplify this; all three countries have over 30% women’s representation, while Northern Cyprus has 22%, and no women are represented in Somaliland.
- Country culture matters in achieving fair levels of women’s representation. High percentages of women in parliament are not always a direct result of quotas. In Kosovo’s 2021 elections, women made up a much larger share of candidate lists in the leading parties than was required – something that can be traced to a strong women’s movement and a supportive country culture.
- International recognition reinforces state commitment to women’s rights. Although not necessary for statehood or for achieving fair women’s representation, diplomatic recognition would serve to pressure states to adhere to international norms and create a stronger foundation for maintaining current progress on women’s representation over time.
RepresentWomen is a U.S.-based research organization that studies the impact of major systems-level interventions on women’s political representation in the U.S. and worldwide. Since 2018, our international research has explored the role of gender quotas and proportional voting systems in creating more opportunities for women to run for office in other countries, specifically the 193 United Nations Member States. However, lessons can also be learned from non-member states, as detailed in the following brief and analysis.
