The Reflections series synthesizes lessons from past evaluations to support organizational learning about what works and what doesn't. This paper examines past evaluations to provide eight lessons on boosting women's political participation:

1. Supporting the political participation of women empowers them to contribute to decision-making, promoting greater equity 
   in society. Women’s political participation can also help to overcome political divides.
2. Continuous exposure to women leaders in politics helps to challenge entrenched social norms, which remain the hardest barrier to women’s political participation. In contexts where gender equality may be a particularly delicate issue, economic empowerment can be a catalyst.
3. Capacity development interventions need to account for women’s potentially limited previous exposure and consider other roles women are expected to play in the family and society.
4. Quotas are effective in enhancing women’s political participation when implementation is adequately monitored, and mechanisms for reporting non-compliance established.
5. The development of women’s capacity and the inclusion of women in electoral lists are important but are insufficient conditions to enhance their participation in political decision-making and promote gender equality. Integrated approaches, aimed at gender-responsive political processes and institutions, are also required to overcome some of the challenges induced by social norms.
6. In a challenging resource climate, negotiating for thematic funding windows and leveraging grant opportunities helped to overcome some of the constraints derived from the projectized nature of development work, enhancing flexibility and local outreach.
7. Partnerships with civil society organizations are important to ensure adequate outreach at community level and enlarge the 
   civic space to sustain women’s political participation.
8. Ensuring effective communication among national stakeholders, civil society and law enforcement is key to addressing the risk of violence against women engaging in politics, especially when complemented with other long-term initiatives.