Exclusion of Women in Syria's Parliamentary Elections Highlights Entrenched Patterns of Marginalization

In Syria, women only won six seats in the 210-member parliament, following the country's recent parliamentary elections. The election was characterized by exclusionary electoral structures, which led to the marginalization of women and minority groups. Despite claims of moving towards democracy, the new leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has demonstrated a continued commitment to the exclusion of women in the political process. A study of the election process reveals a deliberate attempt to prevent women's participation, including the composition of the Supreme Judicial Committee for Elections, which had only two women out of nine members.

Key Takeaways:

Women held between 6% and 13% of seats in Syria's parliament from 1981 to the end of Assad's tenure, according to estimates from a global organisation of national parliaments.
In the recent parliamentary elections, women only won six seats in the 210-member parliament, despite making up around 11% of subcommittee members.
The Supreme Judicial Committee for Elections, tasked with forming electoral subcommittees, had a composition that was revealing: nine men and only two women.
Ordinary citizens had no direct role in the election, and the electoral colleges, composed largely of men, selected representatives for two-thirds of the parliament seats, with the remaining third being appointed by al-Sharaa.
No female parliamentarians were elected, despite women making up nearly a third of the registered applicants in Damascus.
Minority representation was also limited, with only ten members from religious or ethnic minorities elected out of 119.
Previous research has shown that exclusionary electoral structures tend to produce exclusionary outcomes, and Syria's case fits this broader pattern.
Syrian officials have attributed women's exclusion to cultural factors, shifting the blame away from institutional barriers.

Statistics:

Women won six seats in the 210-member parliamentary elections.
Women comprised around 11% of subcommittee members, 18 out of roughly 180 nationwide.
Damascus had a high percentage of women applicants for the electoral college, with 44 out of 145, but no female parliamentarians were elected.
Christians made up 10% of Syria's population but won only two seats in the parliament.
119 members were elected, with ten belonging to religious or ethnic minorities.

Sources:

The Conversation (Au and NZ) -- Syria's new leader promised democracy. Then he excluded women from parliamentary elections
A global organisation of national parliaments' estimates on women's representation in Syria's parliament from 1981 to the end of Assad's tenure