What Role Does Women's Political Empowerment Play on the Environmental Performance of Developing Countries?

ABSTRACT Women's political empowerment (WPE) is making slow progress in developing countries and continues to fuel recent literature. In this study, we determined the direct and indirect effects of WPE on the environmental performance (EP) of developing countries. Based on a sample of 71 developing countries, we specify and estimate a panel data model using fixed‐effect regression and the system generalized method of moment over the period 2000–2020. Our results show that WPE, including political participation, women's civil liberty, and women's participation in civil society, significantly improves EP. The effect of WPE is mediated by corruption control and education. To strengthen EP in developing countries, we suggest implementing strategies that enable the integration of gender parity into constitutions and legal frameworks. The capacities of women in society must be strengthened to encourage their participation in decision making.