Timor-Leste: substantive representation of women parliamentarians and gender equality

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste achieved independence on 20 May 2002, following two years of UN administration, 24 years of Indonesian military occupation (1975–1999), and nearly 400 years of colonial association with Portugal. Timor-Leste is considered a resilient democracy despite various postcolonial and economic challenges. Working for gender equality is very dependent on a parliamentarian’s personal values, understandings of gender relations, and the dimensions of gender inequality, as well as power relations within her own political party and the values of that party. National women’s movements do replicate existing patterns of social and gendered hierarchies and values and may represent elite rather than more diverse groups of women in society. Women candidates are selected from patronage networks by men who lead political parties with the resulting relations of obligation and the “limited empowerment” of women. The issue of loyalty to political party interests or party discipline was spoken about by every respondent.