Does Critical Mass Matter

To
Director General Planning And Development Academy

Kind Attention: Md. Mostaq Ahmed, Director.

Sub : Request to Publish and Article on “Does Critical Mass Matter? An Inquiry into Descriptive Representation of Women Member of Parliament in Bangladesh

Dear Sir,
I will appreciate if you kindly have the attached article published in your Magazine at your earliest.

Thanks yours,

(Md. Monir Uddin)
Joint Secretary
M/O Finance Division
Bangladesh Secretariat.

Does Critical Mass Matter? An Inquiry into Descriptive Representation of Women Member of Parliament in Bangladesh

Md .Monir Uddin
Joint Secretary, Finance Division, Ministry of Finance, GoB of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Md. Koushik Ahmed
Head of Communication & Associate Coordinator at Eminence
Md. Reazul Haque, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka

Abstract
Over the last few decades there has been growing tension on the issue of representation of women in the parliament with the advent of feminist movement. Westminster countries thereby have undergone a number of experiments. As a response to pacify the growing tensions attempts including changes in the electoral system, party culture etc have been ventured to increase the participation or representation of women in the parliament in the Westminster countries. Among the main four Westminster countries (United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand) New Zealand has achieved very noticeable changes in the representation of women in the parliament. United Kingdom, the mother country of Westminster has also encountered a number of changes in the electoral system. This wave of change has not been confined only in Westminster countries. It has rather stirred the curtain of the parliament of other country, especially those which were under the rule of British East India Company for a long period of time. In all these Westminster countries both descriptive and substantive

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