«This collection of essays is a very useful research-based exploration of African institutions’ hidden agendas working against women’s political empowerment.»

ThoughtFox

«Gender and representation scholars have been good at explaining why some African countries are among the top-ranked in the world when it comes to the high levels of women elected into elected offices. Are you interested in some in-depth insights into the mechanisms and dynamics of countries lagging behind their more well-known neighbors, this is the book for you to read.»

Ragnhild Muriaas, Professor, University of Bergen

«This book is an important and interesting contribution to the literature on women in politics in Africa. It provides a rare collection of rich case studies from eight African countries of how informal institutions in numerous ways work to exclude women from political spaces.»

Vibeke Wang, Senior Researcher, Chr. Michelsen Institute