Faced with a choice between tending to a newborn or pursuing a loan, most mothers will choose their child. As a result, no matter how talented or educated they are, women often remain confined to the role of caregiver during the most active and productive years of their lives.

It has now been a year since Mongolia’s newly expanded Parliament convened—one that, for the first time in the country’s history, includes 32 women from five political parties, making up a quarter of the chamber. The 2024 elections also brought in two members with disabilities and marked the arrival of Mongolia’s first Gen Z lawmaker, Tsenguun Saruulsaikhan. Over 17% of MPs are now under the age of 40, marking another step toward more diverse representation.

On a bright Saturday morning in Maryland, the air fills with the sound of the Mongolian national anthem. Children in deels and silk ribbons take the stage to sing and dance, as their parents beam proudly from the audience.