Politics of Pakistan in 1990s Conundrum: A Historical Analysis into Intrinsic Socio-Political and Electoral Dichotomies

Abstract

Even as the numbers of women in legislative bodies in Pakistan have been boosted by gender quotas, the actual empowerment of female legislators in the main is more symbolic than real. The feminism theory and political representation theory help frame the analyses of the roles played by gender in the actualization of political power and participation within the patriarchal Pakistani society. The instant study uses intersectional analysis to determine the various ways in which the female parliamentarians in Pakistan are discriminated against such as the social-cultural practices, political marginalization and legislations. It uses a qualitative research design to examine the nature of gender based political participation and uses secondary data collected from books, and research journals and media records. The study finds that female parliamentarians are locked out from occupying key leadership positions in their parties, are met with pervasive hostility from male counterparts who do not wish to see women’s rights advanced, and are denied institutional help in enacting the laws passed, making them ineffectual on various front – policy-making inclusive. It recommends that possible changes in the national assembly are required to happen institutionally where women empowered politically as the agency; reforms that include changes in party structures, gender-sensitive policies, and training of women and men in society to transform gender stereotypes.