It is now widely acknowledged that women are under-represented politically a round the world, and that this under-representation is problematic. Women constitute 15 per cent of the members of parliaments globally, ranging from 48.8 per cent in Rwanda and 45.3 in Sweden to none in Bahrain and Kuwait. This under-representation is thought to matter by different people for different reasons. The most frequently articulated reasons within the gender politics literature focus on three issues : the development of a just and equal society is hindered; women's interests remain unfulfilled; and democracy is likely to become atrophied (Phillips, 1995 : 62-83). The ‘justice’ argument implies that numerically equal rep resentation of women and men in legislatures is itself an indication of parity, regardless of the beliefs of those present or the policies enacted.