Abstract
This chapter examines hurdles of women’s entry to a masculine public domain, the parliament, in Bhutan, one of the world’s new democracies. It reveals a masculine-driven election campaign, impediments of seeking women’s candidature in the parliament and the dynamics of men and women politicians. It discloses challenges of being women legislator in male-dominated parliamentary committees, particularly in gaining male legislators’ support to pass women-related bills. Further, the Bhutanese context shows a contested view on seat reservation in parliament. Nonetheless, the first ten women parliamentarians were trailblazers who were able to demonstrate a principled, feminine, political leadership in a masculine environment. They contributed to Bhutan’s development by enabling legislation which directly impacts on women and children (rape and domestic violence) in their first term.
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Chuki, S. (2018). Women in Parliament—Entering the Public Male Domain in Bhutan. In: Ahmed, N. (eds) Women in Governing Institutions in South Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57475-2_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57475-2_3
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