Publication | Report/Paper

Women’s Empowerment in the Political Process in the Maldives

In the Maldives, as in all countries around the world, women’s interest and ability to participate in the political process is impacted by a combination of legal, political, social, economic and cultural factors. An understanding of how each of these factors independently affects participation, as well as the aggregate effect of these combined factors, is critical to developing targeted strategies to increase women’s engagement in the political process.

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) assessed the opportunities and barriers for women’s political participation in six areas: power and decision-making; knowledge, beliefs, perceptions and gender roles; access to public space, services and resources; security and election violence; and legal and human rights. IFES’ goal was to determine what specific obstacles exist to women’s political participation and develop recommendations appropriate for the Maldivian context.