Understanding hidden layers in political participation: Women's representation in Indonesia's election management bodies

Abstract

This article investigates women's representation in Indonesia's election management bodies (EMBs). Many studies have extensively scrutinized women's representation in politics, but emphasis tends to fall on exploring women in elected positions rather than in election management bodies. Consequently, little is known about women's roles in organizing and monitoring elections, especially in Indonesia. Using statistical data on female representatives in Indonesia's EMBs and parliaments, this article examines trends of women's representation in EMBs at both national and local levels in Indonesia, as well as their relationship with gender outcomes in elections. It also examines the disparities between regions and investigates hindrances to women's representation in EMBs. Using statistical analysis, this study finds that although disparities remain, with women's representation remaining low overall in Indonesia's EMBs, a higher proportion of women in EMBs is associated with greater inclusion of women in elected positions. Drawing from feminist institutionalism and institutional change models, the authors argue that the underrepresentation of women in Indonesia's EMBs is driven by regulatory ambiguity, leading to a combination of layering and drift models of institutional change, with women's representation in general strongly influenced by the highly gendered informal aspects of institutions.