This comparative study examines women's participation in politics in South Africa and Uganda. In both these African countries, women have achieved some 30 per cent representation in national and local political institutions - far more than in many western countries. How has this been achieved? How far did women's mobilization in society play a part? How sustainable are these gains likely to be? And how much impact on policy do women really have? The contributors examine two litmus test pieces of legislation - around land in Uganda and gender violence in South Africa. They show that the political routes to increased female participation may vary and that the solidity of the gains made depends on the strength of the gender-equity lobby in society at large. What is more, participation does not necessarily lead to policies which enhance the position and interests of women. The book illuminates a complicated area of socio-political change with relevance for the very different experiences of other countries in Africa and elsewhere.