Beyond the Numbers : Gender Quotas and Women's Political Representation in Bengkulu Indonesia
Keywords:
Gender Quotas; Local Gender Norms; Women's Political Representation; Feminist Institutionalism; Bengkulu Indonesia
Abstract
Despite legislative gender quotas, women remain underrepresented in politics. While institutional barriers are well-documented, the impact of local gender norms on quota success remains under-researched. This qualitative case study investigates how local norms affect female political representation in Bengkulu, Indonesia, where a 30% candidate quota is mandated. Through in-depth interviews with first-time female candidates, party leaders, and political observers, alongside documentary analysis, the study shows that quotas open formal electoral pathways but fail to dismantle deep-seated patriarchal structures. Politics is still viewed as a masculine domain, and party practices continue to marginalize women, who must constantly balance campaigning with traditional societal expectations. Nonetheless, running for office empowers women by boosting self-confidence, expanding networks, and fostering leadership ambitions. Ultimately, the study argues that local gender norms actively mediate the success of formal quotas. To achieve true political equality, interventions must target both formal electoral rules and the cultural norms governing political authority.
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Cislaghi, Beniamino, Asha Bhatia, Elisabeth Hallgren, Nour Horanieh, Ann M. Weber, and Gary L. Darmstadt. 2022. "Gender Norms and Gender Equality in Full-Time Employment and Health: A 97-Country Analysis of the World Values Survey." Frontiers in Psychology 13:689815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.689815
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Clayton, Amanda. 2021. "How Do Electoral Gender Quotas Affect Policy?" Annual Review of Political Science 24(1):235–252. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-041719-102019.
Clayton, Amanda, Diana Z. O'Brien, and Jennifer M. Piscopo. 2025. "Electoral Gender Quotas and Democratic Legitimacy." American Political Science Review 120(1):123–140. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055425000176.
Connell, Raewyn. 2009. Gender: In World Perspective. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Corbett, Caroline, Jan G. Voelkel, Marianne Cooper, and Robb Willer. 2022. "Pragmatic Bias Impedes Women's Access to Political Leadership." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119(6). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2112616119.
Dahlerup, Drude. 2005. "Increasing Women's Political Representation: New Trends in Gender Quotas." Pp. 141–153 in Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers, revised edition, edited by J. Ballington and A. Karam. Stockholm: International IDEA.
Fraile, Marta, and Dora M. Marinova. 2024. "Closing the Gender Gap in Internal Political Efficacy? Gender Roles and the Masculine Ethos of Politics in Spain." Political Behavior 46(4):2287–2311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-024-09918-w.
Goyal, Tanushree. 2023. "Representation from Below: How Women's Grassroots Party Activism Promotes Equal Political Participation." American Political Science Review 118(3):1415–1430. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055423000953.
Halim, Yasmin T., Zainab A. Zaazou, and Mohamed S. El-Deeb. 2023. "Factors Affecting Gender Equality in Public Organizations in Egypt." Future Business Journal 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-023-00269-2.
Hattab, Mohammad K., and Mahmoud Abualrob. 2023. "Under the Veil: Women's Economic and Marriage Rights in Palestine." Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01591-4.
Hemay, I., Muradi, Carole Paskarina, and Ratnia Solihah. 2025. "Breaking Barriers: Religious Orientation and Feminist Values in Muslim Women Politics through Social Media: Case Study of Madura." Cogent Social Sciences 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2025.2558080.
Holman, Mirya R., Jennifer L. Merolla, and Elizabeth J. Zechmeister. 2022. "The Curious Case of Theresa May and the Public That Did Not Rally: Gendered Reactions to Terrorist Attacks Can Cause Slumps Not Bumps." American Political Science Review 116(1):249–264. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055421000861.
Horak, Stephan, and Yipeng Suseno. 2022. "Informal Networks, Informal Institutions, and Social Exclusion in the Workplace: Insights from Subsidiaries of Multinational Corporations in Korea." Journal of Business Ethics 186(3):633–655. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05244-5.
Jabali, Omar, Samah Jabali, and Sahar Jabali. 2025. "Power, Participation, and Patriarchy: A Mixed-Methods Study of Palestinian Women in Political and Public Life with Insights on Health." BMC Public Health 25(1):3642. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24958-5.
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Machado, Carolina, Rui Leite, Bruno Oliveira, and Chris Brewster. 2025. "Gender Equality in Academia: How Legislation against Discrimination Can Back-Fire." Studies in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2025.2592107.
Moalla, Khaoula T., and Gary L. Darmstadt. 2024. "Legal Pluralism and Tribalism: Drivers of Gender and Health Inequalities." Journal of Global Health 14:03020. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.14.03020.
Neundorf, Anja, and Rebecca Shorrocks. 2021. "Revisiting the Impact of Modernization on Support for Women Politicians: The Role of Women's Political Empowerment." Comparative Political Studies 55(8):1298–1331. https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140211066214.
Noh, Yujin, Sharan Grewal, and Mehmet T. Kılavuz. 2023. "Regime Support and Gender Quotas in Autocracies." American Political Science Review 118(2):706–723. https://doi.org/10.1017/S000305542300059X.
Ohmura, Tamaki, and Stefanie Bailer. 2022. "Power-Seeking, Networking and Competition: Why Women Do Not Rise in Parties." West European Politics 46(5):897–927. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2022.2097442.
Pas, Daphne van der, Loes Aaldering, and Agnieszka L. Bos. 2023. "Looks Like a Leader: Measuring Evolution in Gendered Politician Stereotypes." Political Behavior 46(3):1653–1675. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-023-09888-5.
Polak, Aleksandra, and Marcin Lewandowski. 2024. "Institutions or Ideology? Cross-Party and Cross-Country Analysis of Factors Contributing to the Election of Women to the European Parliament." European Political Science Review 17(2):338–357. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755773924000286.
Prihatini, Ella S. 2019. Women in Indonesian Local Politics: Islam, Gender and Networks in Post-Suharto Indonesia. London: Routledge.
Retnaningsih, Umi O., Henny Asriwandari, Rina B. Ningsih, Indah T. Purwanti, Rd. S. S. Sidiq, Dwi Artina, and Rosaliza Rosaliza. 2022. "The Persistence of Patriarchy in the Palm Oil Sector: Evidence from the Riau Province of Indonesia." Cogent Social Sciences 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2022.2112825.
Schuler, Paul. 2023. "Gender and Clientelism: Do Expectations of Patronage Penalize Women Candidates in Legislative Elections?" Comparative Political Studies 57(14):2348–2375. https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140231204248.
Sedlander, Erica, Jeffrey B. Bingenheimer, Michael W. Long, Melissa Swain, and Rajiv N. Rimal. 2022. "The G-NORM Scale: Development and Validation of a Theory-Based Gender Norms Scale." Sex Roles 87:350–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-022-01319-9.
Streatfield, Anne, Md. Mizanur Rahman, Shahabuddin Khan, Md. Mominul Haider, Md. Mahfuzur Rahman, Quamrun Nahar, and Kazi Jamil. 2023. "What Shapes Attitudes on Gender Roles among Adolescents in Bangladesh." Frontiers in Public Health 11:1121858. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1121858.
Walby, Sylvia. 1990. Theorizing Patriarchy. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Waylen, Georgina. 2017. Gender and Informal Institutions. London: Rowman & Littlefield
Published
2026-07-29
How to Cite
Widiastuti, W., & Putra, D. E. (2026). Beyond the Numbers : Gender Quotas and Women’s Political Representation in Bengkulu Indonesia. DAWUH : Islamic Communication Journal, 7(2), 495-510. https://doi.org/10.62159/dawuh.v7i2.2729
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Articles
Copyright (c) 2026 Wahyu Widiastuti, Delfan Eko Putra
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