Party outcasts: the underrepresentation of female parliamentarians in Belize

Adding to the feminist literature on women’s underrepresentation in parliaments around the world, this thesis presents Belize as an elucidative case. Primary and secondary data were used to identify the barriers to women’s electoral success. Interviews were conducted between May 2013 and February 2014 in Belize. An extensive review on feminist literature outlined three types of barriers: (1) cultural; (2) structural; and (3) institutional. The literature and primary data led to the conclusion that the largest barrier in Belize is institutional where the political party is the critical gatekeeper to women’s success