Dialogue on Women’s Political Participation and Leadership

Headline Funders

Program Background

A continuation of the Maureen Mansfield Women’s Empowerment Series, the Dialogue on Women’s Political Participation and Leadership seeks to address the underrepresentation of women in politics while fostering Japan-ROK-USA trilateralism. By assembling a diverse multinational team of women leaders—including representatives, civil society leaders, scholars, experts, and business professionals—the program aims to identify shared challenges, exchange best practices, and amplify women’s voices in decision-making processes. The Dialogue aims to strengthen democratic governance and social resilience not only in Japan, South Korea, and the United States but across the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Program Vision

Women’s participation in politics is integral to sustainable development, democratic stability, and peacebuilding efforts worldwide. The program envisions a robust, trilateral community of women leaders who champion gender equity in politics, inspire innovative solutions to longstanding barriers, and serve as a model for fostering inclusive, democratic governance across the globe.

Program Objectives

1. Establish a network of women thought leaders dedicated to advancing gender equity in governance through mutual support and shared democratic values.
2. Analyze the cultural, structural, and institutional barriers that limit women’s political participation in Japan, South Korea, and the United States, while exploring strategies to address these challenges.
3. Develop and disseminate policy recommendations to increase the number of women in elected office, tailored to the unique contexts of the three countries.
4. Strengthen trilateral cooperation through meaningful dialogue and collaboration, fostering mutual trust and creating a foundation for future cooperative initiatives in the Indo-Pacific.
5. Present actionable policy recommendations to senior policymakers and the public via a policy brief, complemented by hybrid rollout events in Washington, DC, to catalyze further action.

For further information, please contact Director of Programs Ari Lee at alee@mansfieldfdn.org.

This program is administered by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation with headline funding provided by the Federation of Korean Industries and the United States-Japan Foundation.