A Study of Gender Inequality in Political Representation: Analyzing the Barriers to Women's Political Empowerment

Abstract

Gender inequality in political representation remains a persistent global challenge, limiting women’s participation in decision-making and governance processes. This study investigates the structural, socio-cultural, economic, and institutional barriers affecting women’s political empowerment using a quantitative research design. Survey data were collected from adult respondents across diverse socio-demographic backgrounds and analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, multiple regression, and mediation modeling. The results reveal that socio-cultural norms, economic constraints, and institutional barriers exert a significant negative influence on women’s political empowerment, while political awareness and institutional support have a strong positive effect. Mediation analysis further demonstrates that political awareness and institutional support partially mediate the relationship between structural barriers and empowerment outcomes. Visual and tabulated analyses confirm the robustness of these relationships across different model specifications. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of addressing both structural constraints and enabling factors to enhance women’s political participation. This study contributes empirical evidence to gender and political representation literature and offers policy-relevant insights for promoting inclusive and equitable political systems.