“A growing global consensus has emerged around the importance of gender equality in political representation. The failure of national legislatures to reflect their populations is a sign of entry barriers, and deprives societies of female political talent. Although some countries employ quotas to hasten representational equality, women still occupy only 20 percent of lower-level parliamentary seats, on average, internationally. Why have women not reached representational parity, and what can be done about it? To answer these questions, the Women in Parliaments Global Forum, a membership-based organization that brings together female legislators from around the world, in conjunction with the World Bank, commissioned an original survey of legislators to learn about the barriers that women face on the road to a career politics. In collaboration with academic partners from leading research universities, this study combines rigorous survey questions and open-ended responses. This document is the fruit of that undertaking.”