Can female politicians make us healthier?

Can female politicians make us healthier?

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For much of history, women lived in a man’s world where men were simply assumed to be stronger, better, and smarter. Women, accordingly had limited opportunities for political participation, and were frequently excluded from decision making.

Thankfully, those attitudes seem to be shifting. According to the Gender Inequality Index, women on average hold about 25 percent of seats in parliaments globally, up from 13 percent in 2000—so, considerable progress has been made in just 20 years.

Parliamentary participation is part of the Gender Inequality Index discussed in Episode 2. It falls under the “empowerment” dimension. In theory, empowering women in society means a greater number of choices for women. But does it have an empirical benefit in improving women’s health?

• Maternal Mortality & Political Participation Reserach
• Yentl Syndrome
• Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
• Consolidating Democracy in Pakistan
• DHS Survey Pakistan 2012-13
• DHS Survey Pakistan 2017-18