Women’s right to engage in politics has generally been restricted and disregarded in Pakistan despite a lot of rhetoric surrounding the matter. Yes, indeed, we were the first in the entire Muslim world to have a woman as head of the government, which is something that even the United States has not been able to register. But that was an exception rather than the norm.
Despite making up over half of the population, many women are not allowed to exercise their constitutional right to free and equal participation in decision-making and governance. Their right to vote, to run for office, and to participate in larger politics has been sabotaged by various cultural factors and patriarchal beliefs.
The fact is that women’s baseline participation in the electoral process — as a voter — is still incredibly low, particularly in rural areas of the country. In contrast to 32.6 per cent of men, only 18.2pc of women cast their ballots in the 2018 general elections, according to a study by a non-governmental organisation (NGO). This is true even though women make up over 50pc of Pakistan’s electorate.
There are several reasons behind the low participation of women in the electoral process, especially in rural Pakistan. The first issue is that rural women are not aware of their rights or the significance of voting. Second, many women are reluctant to disagree with the thoughts and beliefs of the male family members out of concern for social shame.
To guarantee that their opinions are heard in the decision-making process, more and more women must participate in elections in Pakistan in order to encourage larger participation at the grassroots level.
The government must take decisive action and make it simpler for women to cast ballots and get themselves registered to cast their vote.
This may be accomplished by taking steps like providing free transportation to polling stations, offering help and educational programmes for voters at large, and setting up polling stations in areas that are accessible to all.
The government should also make every possible effort to change the set of cultural beliefs that prevent women from participating in politics and the electoral process so that they may freely exercise their democratic right.
SYED HASSAN RAZA
KARACHI
