Barriers to women's effective representation are examined along two main dimensions. Firstly, barriers are identified that hinder women's legislative participation and secondly, barriers are identified against women's effective representation. Effectiveness is the ability to exercise power to make an impact. But the sources of power that leads to effectiveness may sometimes remain inadequately accessible to women. Barriers to participation and barriers to effectiveness are interrelated. Broadly barriers can be classified as societal, institutional and structural. However, women legislators of some countries are quite successful in overcoming those barriers. A number of hypotheses regarding barriers, effective parliamentary representation, conducive systems and strategies are tested through this empirical research.