Representing gender equality: Specialised parliamentary bodies

In this special issue, we showcase feminist research on the role of specialised parliamentary bodies in promoting gender equality.Much previous research on the substantive representation of women has focused on individual actors rather than on institutional supports.However, specialised parliamentary bodies have been multiplying across the world over the past 20 years, whether in the form of standing committees, all-party parliamentary groups or womens caucuses. As we shall see, these bodies have often been created after a significant inflow of women into parliament, in order to capitalise on the gains. The UK Parliaments Committee on Women and Equalities is a very recent example of such a body, adding to the more informal gender-related parliamentary groups already in existence at Westminster.