Liberian Women’s Quest for Increased Representation and Participation in Politics

The end of Liberia’s civil war in 2003 brought an unprecedented number of women into politics. However, the number of women elected to both Houses since 2005 has varied and tended to decline overall. This research acknowledges the low representation of women in politics and seeks to understand the reason for this trend. It also discusses their quest for increased women participation. Findings indicate that in addition to patriarchy, resources and traditional beliefs and institutional capacity, women underrepresentation is also owed to lip-service of political parties, inadequate information dissemination, education, and poor follow-up plans. Having more women in politics signals that both men and women should be lawmakers in order to secure a balance of power in political decision-making. The growth, empowerment and development of half Liberia’s population, women, depend on it. Having more women elected to political office should not be the only goal. Women lawmakers should struggle for sustained representation that results in positive results for men, women and children. Disappointingly, nepotism and patronage politics continue to abound, even in a country like Liberia that gave Africa its first woman president. This shows how difficult it can be to get rid of old, stubborn norms. An increase of women in politics signifies that norms can changed and are changing and represents a step toward greater equality. If women are not represented politically, their voices will not be heard, and their interests are less likely to be advanced