for the purpose of this figure government members are defined as ministers deputy ministers and state secretaries first there is little evidence so far of a correlation between the increasing number of female ministers and parliamentarians and the adoption of more gendersensitive laws and policies in the arab region some female members of parliament have indeed become prominent advocates for legislative reforms in favour of women s rights but these individuals rarely form a homogenous group and female legislators certainly do not share the same political views simply by virtue of their sex