Books
Varieties of Power:
Women’s Political Representation in Arab Parliaments
Columbia University Press (2025)
The introduction of gender quotas has transformed the political landscape for women. Since the mid-1990s, women’s representation in national politics has exponentially increased in both democracies and autocracies. The incremental increase in women’s descriptive representation over the past decades in autocracies raises two important puzzles. The first puzzle relates to whether the increased number of women in authoritarian legislatures has given them more power and influence. The second puzzle relates to the role of political parties in conditioning women’s legislative behavior and political power.
Varieties of Power aims to address these puzzles by relying on a decade of fieldwork and original data collection across the MENA region. Shalaby focuses on three Arab monarchies, Morocco, Jordan, and Kuwait, which have varying levels of party institutionalization and quota implementation. I argue and show empirical evidence that the degree of institutionalization of individual parties plays a significant role in conditioning women’s political power under authoritarianism.
The analysis reveals significant variations across the three cases regarding women’s political influence and legislative behavior. While the introduction of quota systems has contributed to promoting women's numerical presence in politics, the absence of institutionalized parties has limited women's ability to gain access and power in autocratic legislatures.
Varieties of Power makes valuable contributions to the study of gender and authoritarian politics, representation, comparative political parties, autocratic legislatures, and Middle East politics. It integrates diverse strands from many literatures to make a coherent case for the role of political parties in shaping women’s political representation in non-democracies.
Reviews
Empirically rich and theoretically interesting, Marwa Shalaby’s Varieties of Power offers insights to students of authoritarianism, gender, institutions, political parties, representation, and Middle East politics. An important contribution to the study of comparative politics.
Ellen Lust, Cornell University and the University of Gothenburg.
Shalaby has written an outstanding account of women’s substantive political representation in MENA. She insightfully argues that political party institutionalization is important for women’s representation. Through careful qualitative and quantitative case study research in Morocco, Jordan, and Kuwait, Shalaby showcases the ways in which authoritarianism impedes women’s political empowerment.
Amaney A. Jamal, Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics and International Affairs Dean, Princeton University
Varieties of Power is a fascinating and groundbreaking study of women’s political representation in authoritarian contexts. Shalaby provides compelling empirical evidence from the Middle East and North Africa to examine whether this trend is translating into real political power, focusing on the crucial role of party institutionalization in shaping women’s political influence. The book is a cornerstone for scholars of authoritarianism and gender and politics in the region.
Aili Mari Tripp, Vilas Research Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Varieties of Power offers an authoritative and significant contribution to political science. Through compiling and analyzing an expansive and robust dataset on women’s representation and political participation in the Middle East and North Africa, Shalaby seriously engages with the phenomenon of "genderwashing" in authoritarian regimes—where the inclusion of women is seen as a means to project a progressive image while diverting attention from authoritarian practices. She challenges prevailing views that often overlook the agency and preferences of women politicians in such contexts, arguing that these perspectives oversimplify the role of contextual factors, particularly the strength and presence of political parties. The book is a comprehensive and pioneering work that not only sheds light on the nuanced dynamics of women’s political participation in authoritarian regimes but also contributes significantly to broader discussions on gender, authoritarian politics, and comparative political parties.
Nermin Allam, Associate Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University-Newark