Women’s Participation in the Politics of Pakistan: a Feminist

Perspective

BY

KAINAT NASEEM

Synopsis submitted to Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan in the partial

fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
BS POLIICAL SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

FACULTY OF ARTS

ABDUL WALI KHAN UNIVERSITY MARDAN

SESSION (2015-19)
 Women’s Participation in the Politics of Pakistan: a Feminist
Perspective

BY

KAINAT NASEEM

REGISTRATION NO: 15-F-AWKUM-MCM-POL-17

Supervisory Committee:

Supervisor

Department of Political Science

Co-Supervisor

Department of Political Science

Convener, Graduate Studies Committee

Convener, Board of Studies

Dean

Director

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

FACULTY OF ARTS

ABDUL WALI KHAN UNIVERSITY MARDAN

SESSION (2015-19)
 Contents

Chapter 1 ...................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Background of the study .......................................................................................... 1

1.1.1 Feminism….…………………………………...………………………………1

1.1.2 Politics….……………………………………...………………………………1

1.1.3 Women's Participation in Politics……………...………………………………1

1.2 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................... 2

1.3 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................................ 2

1.5 Significance of the Study ......................................................................................... 3

Chapter 2 ...................................................................................................................... 4

Literature Review ............................................................................................ ………4

Chapter 3 ...................................................................................................................... 5

Research Methodology ................................................................................................ 5

3.1 Research Paradigm................................................................................................... 5

3.2 Design of the Study.................................................................................................. 5

3.3 Data-Collection for the Study .................................................................................. 5

3.4 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 5-6

References………………………………………………………………………………7
 1

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

In the modern era the presentation/participation of woman in politics, especially, in

Pakistan, is a research area that has attracted the attention of feminists.

1.1.1 Feminism
According to The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Current English (1984), “Feminism is the
advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of equality of the sexes”.(P. 230) It is a set of
beliefs that ensure equal political, economic, social and cultural rights for women all over
the world. This movement intends to ask for women rights in the law, property, voting,
reproductive rights, sovereignty, and bodily integrity. Believer in feminism hold the view
that woman suffer from discrimination because of her sex. They, moreover, believe that
they have specific needs which remain neglected and unsatisfied. The satisfaction of these
needs require a radical change in the social, economic, and political order.”

1.1.2 Politics
According to The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Current English (1984), “Activities that
relate to influencing the actions and policies of a government or getting and keeping
power in a government”

1.1.3 Participation of Women in Politics of Pakistan: Historical

Background
Feminism identifies political participation in conventional patriarchal and developing
country like Pakistan.

Women remained politically very observable in political and constitutional processes

throughout the history. Ms. Fatima Jinnah, Begum Shaista Ikramullah, Begum Ra’ana
Liaqat Ali, Begum Shah Nawaz, Lady Abdullah Haroon, Lady Hafeezullah, Begum
 2

Hafeezudin, are some of the famous names in political arena. Moreover, Benazir Bhutto
(late), Fehmida Mirza, Sherry Rehman, Hina Rabbani Kher, Marvi Memon, Maryam
Nawaz and many more also hold the important portfolios in different governments.
Pakistan also holds distinct position in the other Muslim countries and became leading
light when Benazir Bhutto was elected as the first prime minister and Dr. Fehmida Mirza
as the first speaker of the national assembly (Repila, 2013).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Women face obstructions while participating in the politics. A feminist view looks at how
women politicians and the roles assigned to them by male dominated institutions impact
the politics of Pakistan.

1.3 Research Objectives

Following will be the research objectives of the present study:

1. To explore the participation of women in politics of Pakistan;

2. To discover the difficulties women face in politics; and
3. To find out how women politicians and the roles assigned to them impact
the politics of Pakistan.

1.4 Research Questions

Following will the research questions of the present study:

1. What are the strategies of participation of women in politics of Pakistan;

2. What difficulties women face in politics? and
3. What are the impacts of women politicians and the roles assigned to them on the
politics of Pakistan?
 3

1.5 Significance of the Study

The present study will be qualitative in nature. It aims to add a new color to the
ideology/theory of feminism in the field of Politics in Pakistan. It will grant an in-depth

analysis of the female role in Politics. Moreover, the present research will also serve as

guideline for the students conducting research in this area in future.

 4

Chapter 2

Literature Review

The role played by women in Politics of Pakistan, is a field studied from different angles
by various researchers and scholars.

Muhammad Ali (2018) in his Research, titled as; “Political Participation of Women in
Pakistan Historical and Political Dynamics Shaping the Structure of Politics for
Women”, concluded: “In Pakistan, there has been an increase in the proportion of women
to have been elected to legislative bodies, mainly because of the quota that allocates seats
specifically to women. But, a higher proportion of women are contesting election for
legislative bodies to general seats as well. Moreover, women are using their right to vote
more actively than they have in the past. They have also proven themselves through their
active participation in the 13th and 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, which is
indicated by their nomination by political parties. Similarly, more women contested seats
in the 2013 election as compare to the election of 2008”.

Akhlaq Ahmad and Haq Nawaz Anwar, in their study, “Femininity and Women Political
Participation in Pakistan”, explained: “how are the dominant, hegemonic discourses of
gender producing subordinate, submissive feminine identities that adhere to the
masculine political connotations and result in the low political participation in Pakistan”
and concluded: “Politics becomes the public concern and male prerogative ignoring
women, considering women out of concern and preventing their participation.”

The present study will focus on women’s obstructions while participating in the politics.
A feminist view will look at how women politicians and the roles assigned to them by
male dominated institutions impact the politics of Pakistan.
 `5

Chapter 3

Research Methodology

3.1 Research Paradigm

According to the nature of the study that involves data exploration for investigating
Research Objectives 1, 2, and 3; qualitative research methods will be followed by the
researcher. Qualitative research method comes under the paradigm of cotemporary
feminism. The present research paradigm will work in the framework provided by Vicky
Randall in his book Women and politics: An International Perspective. This framework
will serve as guidance to the researcher throughout this research.

3.2 Design of the Study

The present study is based on the participation of females in the politics of Pakistan. A
feminist view looks at the obstructions for women in politics. This view of
characterization will be put inside the framework of feminism in Women and Politics by
Vicky Randall on the basis of collected data.

3.3 Data Collection

The primary source of this study will be Randall’s Women and Politics: an International
Perspective. The secondary sources of collecting data will be some research works
published in different national and international research journals, and internet websites
that will help in providing data for this research area.

3.4 Data Analysis

The analysis of data collected will be based on the framework provided by Vicky Randall
(1987) in his book “Women and politics: An International Perspective” in which the
women’s political participation in Pakistan will be analyzed in the light of
“Contemporary Feminism as a political movement” enlightening the obstructions to
 6

women’s participation in politics and the effects/impacts of women politicians and the
roles assigned to them on the politics of Pakistan. The framework for the analysis of the
sample data for the present study has been provided by Vicky Randall in his book Women
and politics: An International Perspective where he is of the view that:

Women Politicians do not behave very differently from

men. Their differences in the political style are at least
attributable to their lack of power. Similarly their apparent
specialization in the feminist areas of policy-making
largely reflects the roles assigned to them male dominated
political institutions. Finally, while under the liberation,
women politicians in Western democracies may be growing
more sympathetic with feminist values, they will not
usually risk the careers for them.

Furthermore, a special emphasis has been developed throughout this research by

analyzing the discourse presented in the samples according to the
limitations/requirements of the study.
 7

References

Allen, R. (1989). The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Current English. London : Oxford
Clarendon Press.

Anwar, A. A. (2018). Femininity, Patriarchy and Women Political Representation :

Pakistan Journal Peace & Conflict Studies , 24,25,34.

Awan, M. A. (2016). Political Participation of Women in Pakista : FGI .

Randall, V. (1988 ). Women and Politics: An International Perspective. Chicago :

University of Chicago Press.

Repila, J. (2013). The politics of our lives: the raising her voice in Pakistan experience :
Oxfam GB.