Underrepresentation in government is a widely discussed, studied and debated phenomenon, the issue of which continues to attract greater attention and concern as the global community aspires to higher levels of equality, inclusion and equity in the world. political domain. Underrepresentation in government excludes many people from participation in the political arena due to distinctive characteristics related to ethnic, cultural, and gender differences, to name a few. Although global efforts have been made to reduce gaps in underrepresentation in politics, the phenomenon continues to be prevalent and affects many people. It is therefore important to look holistically at underrepresentation in politics to determine why it is prevalent, where it occurs most, and the reasons for its existence. The aim of this article will be to examine gender-based underrepresentation in politics, examining why women are less represented overall. Specifically, this article will examine the role of women in politics in South Africa and Britain, in order to compare and contrast the different levels of representation in each region, while deciphering the reasons for these differences. This article aims to explore questions regarding the different levels of political representation of women in the two regions, the implications of these different levels of representation and the impact of history on these levels of difference in either region. Comparing the levels of political representation of women in South Africa and Britain, we can see a large gap between the two regions. There is a clear distinction between the two, with South Africa ranking 5th on the global descending list of women in national parliaments in the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the U...... middle of paper . ..... Annah Evelyn. 4Women in the South African Parliament: from resistance to governance. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2005. Web. Explains the reasons for the quite dramatic change in levels of women's political representation in South Africa, from 2.4 percent to 26 percent. Also cites the periods in which changes in the political representation of women in South Africa began to occur, has been useful in researching the political history of women in South Africa. Bromhead, Evelyn. “Women in British Politics.” Parliamentary Affairs 28 (1975): 448-450. Internet. February 4, 2014. Gives an idea of ​​why women are underrepresented in British politics. This text offers a particularly interesting insight as it was written in 1975, it was useful to compare older and newer ideas - even though they turned out to be relatively similar..