Parliamentary Democracy and Representation of Women: A Comparative Analysis of Sri Lankan and Malaysian Stances

Abstract

Although both Sri Lanka and Malaysia have experienced a parliamentary democracy introduced by the British colonial ruler, there are disparities in terms of the representation of women in parliament. Democracy assures women’s roles in politics, as well as their rights to represent in government apparatus, including parliament. However, the majority of democratic countries in the Global West have succeeded, while the majority of those in the Global South have failed in this regard. This particular research comparatively analyzes women’s representation in parliament—the higher legislative and decision-making body—in Sri Lanka and Malaysia, both have strictly been following a democratic path in governance from their independence. The findings of the study reveal that the country-based different contextual factors have influenced women’s roles in active politics, and their position in parliament representing the public as equally as that of men. This study is descriptive and interpretive in nature, and only secondary data were applied for the analyses of the nature of women’s representation in parliament in both countries.

DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2016.v5n1p111