Daily Times

South Asia has had eminent women politicians and office bearers. The world’s first woman prime minister was from Sri Lanka who was elected in 1960. The first woman prime minister of the Muslim world was from Pakistan and was elected twice.

Bangladesh, Nepal and India have had women head of the states as well. Maldives is an exception as women are banned from holding the highest leadership positions of president and vice-president in the country. Afghanistan is a new democracy and has reached 28 percent in terms of women representation in the parliament. Nepal is the only South Asian country that has 33 percent women legislators. In spite of this legacy, the authority of a vast majority of South Asian women as voters and leaders remains a distant dream.

The women in politics in South Asia, like elsewhere, have to face patriarchal attitudes and arrangements. They usually receive limited support from civil society groups and seasoned parliamentarians in politics. The framework of the electoral system may not always match the needs of the women candidates. The exposition of shrewd patriarchal accord among political parties is not incomprehensible. Those who run for the seat frequently materialise it through the boost and the blessings of their Godfathers and pedigree. Women regardless of their eloquence have negligible say during discussions on important matters within their political parties. The women legislators thrive as male proxy and their power extension.

A social transformation mainstreaming the marginalised issues is often allied with women’s share in politics. Currently, there are 11 women heads of the state, 53 women speakers of parliament and 158 women deputy speakers of parliament. Women ministers in 186 countries hold 1237 portfolios. The Nordic countries have highest percentage (42 percent) of women in single house or lower house. The percentage of women in combined houses in descending order is as follows; Americas (28 percent), Europe including Nordic countries (27 percent), Europe excluding Nordic countries (26 percent), Sub-Saharan Africa (24 percent), Asia (19 percent), Arab States (18 percent) and Pacific (18 percent). The political parity will not be achieved in the world until 2080, markedly, making equivalence in politics an insurmountable hindrance.

The participation of women in politics was not a priority till 1975 (in spite of the adoption of the Convention on the Political Rights of Women by the UN in 1953), when at First World Conference on Women in Mexico City, the UN reminded of the inequalities suffered by women. Then women accounted for 10.9 percent of parliamentarians worldwide and 42 years onwards out of 46143 parliamentarians, while women make 23.38 percent of the parliamentarians. In 1990, a resolution of the UNESCO, recommended that the proportion of women in leadership positions should reach 50 percent by 2000 and the term ‘critical mass’ was used to refer to this proportion, estimated to be at least 30-35 percent.

A social transformation mainstreaming marginalised issues is often accompanied with women’s greater role in politics. Currently, there are 11 women heads of the state, 53 women speakers of parliament and158 women deputy speakers across the globe

Women with political offices generate a general enthusiasm. The women in the parliaments of Pakistan have contributed towards convincing legislative business. This is also indebted to the support for selected issues by the donors and their local implementing partners. Pakistan, with 21 percent in lower and 18 percent in upper house, ranks 92nd in the list of 193 countries, compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary for 2017 on women representation in the House of Representatives.

The conflicting gender gaps in the country with better ranking in political representation of women, however practically, falsify the premise of weakening of patriarchal culture. I came to know through my professional interactions that many women legislators are unaware of their due rights or have wilfully given up those rights eg share in the inheritance.

Most of the women legislators are neither attentive (during the domestic and international capacity building forums funded by international organisations) nor empathetic towards disadvantaged women, and same is the case with their male counterparts.

All political parties are more or less the same because they are merely concerned about serving their own interests. The hungry, homeless and humiliated masses will continue to applause and vote for a typical ruling class that is oblivious of the rights of the deprived segments.

The relevance of instituting a system that compliments intellectual strengths, education, meritocracy, transparency and disparages glorification of patriarchy, extremism and corruption has to be internalised by the women in politics and parliaments. If they really want empowered women voters and leaders, they have to challenge, candidly the existing criminal patriarchal and elitist consensus. Pakistan needs a critical mass of competent women, who can step out of their comfort zones and fulfil their mandate.

The writer is a gender expert, researcher, activist and a free thinker. She tweets @survivorwins

Published in Daily Times, December 25^th 2017.