Although Pakistan was the first Muslim-majority country to elect a female head of government in 1988, and 60 of 342 seats in the National Assembly and 128 of 728 seats in provincial assemblies are reserved for women, female political participation continues to lag behind that of men – particularly when it comes to voting. Approximately, 46.7 million Pakistani women are registered to vote. But this still only accounts for 44 percent of the electorate, though women make up 48.76 percent of the population. When it comes to voting, we need a better overall system to ensure that more and more women are encouraged to come out to the polling stations.
But, there’s not just one barrier, it’s a systemic thing where the environment doesn’t enable women to participate politically. Following things are part of problem when it comes to women’s voting:
- Challenges in obtaining ID cards
- The distance to polling stations
- Religious and Cultural norms that restrict women to the home
- The polling stations being poorly set up
- Attitudes of males as gatekeepers within households affects women’s turnout
- Gendered nature of political space and engagement affects women’s turnout
- Women’s knowledge of politics and elections affects their turnout
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| A women in Pakistan casting vote |
