Women in Parliament and Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence From a Dynamic Panel Threshold Model

ABSTRACT

This study examines the relationship between women's parliamentary representation and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) performance in OECD countries over the period 2000–2022. Using system GMM and dynamic panel threshold models, the results reveal a positive association between women's parliamentary representation and SDG performance. However, this relationship becomes statistically significant only once women's representation exceeds a critical threshold (38%), providing empirical evidence consistent with critical mass theory. Political stability further strengthens the positive association between women's representation and SDG performance above this threshold. Subsample analyses also indicate that the estimated association is stronger in parliamentary systems than in presidential ones. Additional analyses using an adjusted SDG 5 index and separate social and environmental SDG sub‐indices show that women's parliamentary representation is also associated with specific dimensions of sustainable development, particularly gender equality and environmental sustainability. These findings have important implications for gender‐inclusive political reforms aimed at accelerating progress toward the SDGs.