JONI LOVENDUSKI is Professor of Politics at southampton University, UK. AZZA KARAM is Programme Officer in charge of projects on Gender, the Middle East and Research at International IDEA in Stockholm, Sweden.

Although women remain significantly under-represented in today's parliaments, women are now looking beyond the numbers to focus on what they can actually do while in parliament ­ how they can make an impact, whatever their numbers may be. They are learning the rules of the game, and using this knowledge and understanding to promote women's issues and concerns from inside the world's legislatures. In so doing, they are not only increasing the chances of their own success, but are also paving the way for a new generation of women to enter the legislative process. How can women maximize their impact on the political process through parliament? What strategies are most useful in increasing their effectiveness? What lessons can women MPs share with those aspiring to enter the field? In what ways have women impacted on political processes? This is our focus in this chapter, as we move from the road to parliament to making inroads in parliament.