The only women elected to Bahrain’s parliament in 2014 are all Shi’a. While the Shi’a community in Bahrain is often considered to be economically and politically marginalized from the regime, the winning female candidates are wealthy and linked professionally with the regime. "Although their sectarian affiliation makes their electoral victories in the midst of a widespread Shi’a boycott noteworthy, their socioeconomic background makes it seem more like politics as usual," write authors Gail Buttorff and Bozena Welborne.
