This study explores the relationship between gender representation in bureaucracy and perceived performance and fairness. It uses data from a survey experiment that was part of a national representative survey conducted in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. In the experiment, respondents were informed about a hypothetical 10‐member committee responsible for controlling violence against women and that it processes around 150 cases per year. The committee composition was then manipulated based on gender representation to capture whether women's representation in the committee mattered for respondents' evaluation of its performance and fairness. The study finds that in a “no representation” scenario, respondents reported the lowest perceived performance and fairness, while in scenarios such as “equal representation” or “over representation” of women, they reported higher perceived performance and fairness. Furthermore, variations in perceived performance are found to be associated with changing expectations of fair treatment generated by the different representations of women.