This paper contends that, in spite of women’s sizable presence in Afghanistan’s Wolesi Jirga, the representation of women’ s gender interests remains minimal. This is not to say that their political influence has not increased over the last 18 months, but rather that women have not generally used this newfound influence to pro- mote their gendered interests. The purpose of this study is to assess why this might be the case, and to suggest ways in which these inter- ests might be more substantively raised in the future.
Following an introduction to the theoretical framework of the paper, and to women’s historical political participation in Afghanistan, the study is divided into six sections:
