| Abstract | In many majority Muslim countries, women are prevented from fully participating in social life and are excluded from participation in government at significant levels. Yet, social and political exclusion of women in Muslim societies does vary on a continuum from more to less oppressive. Not all majority Muslim countries have the same level of exclusion. This study attempts to understand what factors prevent or promote women's participation in government in majority Muslim countries. Specifically, I analyze how female educational and employment opportunities impact the percentage of women in parliament in majority Muslim countries, and further, how the degree to which Islam dictates governmental institutions mediates these relationships. In order to explore these dynamics, I select three cases with varying degrees of Islamic influence in government: Turkey, Egypt, and Iran. I develop a dataset ranging from 2005 to 2009, which allows me to test these relationships. I find that there is no direct negative relationship between Islam and women's representation in parliament. However, when there is an increased presence of women in the work force the relationship between Islam and women in parliament is significant and positive. In other words, women's employment opportunities mediate the relationship between Islamic governance and women in parliament. |
