TOPIC

HURDLES THAT IMPEDE WOMEN FROM

CASTING THEIR VOTES
COURSE CODE
GEN-112
DUE DATE
THU, 22 DEC
NAME
M. IBRAHIM HUSSAIN
STUDENT NO
27263

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HURDLES THAT IMPEDE WOMEN FROM CASTING
THIER VOTES

The global gender gap index ranked Pakistan in 2016 as the 2 nd

lowest country in the world for gender equality Women’s political
participation can be recognized as an essential component of gender
equality and in Pakistan the gender gap in participation is particularly
high. Ensuring gender equality in political participation matters: The
mere fact that 48.54% of Pakistani population consists of women is
enough to understand the gravity of this matter. Lack of women
participation in social, political, and economic will result in
deterioration of half of population of Pakistan. In Pakistan’s 2018
general elections, the male-female gap in voter turnout stood at 9.1
percent with 11 million fewer women exercising their right to vote
than men. Unfortunately, of the 46 million women that are
registered to vote in Pakistan, only 40 percent participated in the
2018 elections. Women face several barriers to greater political
participation. These barriers remain despite concerted efforts by the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to register female voters by
providing opportunities to obtain their national identity cards in the
lead up to the 2018 elections. Additionally, changes to the election
law empowered the ECP to void th]e results in any constituency
where the female voter turnout is less than 10 percent of the women
on the voter rolls. Nevertheless, the gender gap in electoral turnout
remained stark in the 2018 elections. These barriers must be dealt
with in order to ensure equality and stability among masses.

This assessment will discuss the socio-cultural causes

of gender disparity in electoral process

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 SOCIO-CULTURAL HURDLES IN ACHIEVING GENDER
EQUALITY IN ELECTORAL PROCESS

GENREAL ASSUMPTION
It is generally assumed that a high gender gap in turnout is due to communal
customs in rural constituencies and that in metropolitan areas local elites and
political actors rarely suppress female voting. Through a research USIP ORG,
however, it was found a larger gap in metropolitan cities than in rural
constituencies.
Looking at turnout data from 2018, there is a much higher gap in the largest
metropolitan cities compared to each province’s remaining constituencies. The
difference between the largest metropolitan city and the rest of the province is
highest in Punjab, with the gender gap in turnout in Lahore being double
(12.5%) that in the rest of the province (6.3%)

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This disparity between cities and rural communities is particularly important
because population growth in Pakistan’s larger cities is significantly greater
than in the rest of the country. This suggests that it is critical that the gender
gap in participation is addressed so that women’s concerns are addressed by
their elected leaders.

PATRIARHCAL NORMS
A survey conducted by USIP ORG in 2019 was of 2,500 randomly
selected households in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city with a
population of 11 million. Results show that the gender gap in
metropolitan cities is related to patriarchal norms in the household
and individual women’s knowledge of politics and the electoral
process. Poor knowledge goes hand in hand with women’s low
interest in politics, which is unsurprising in a context in which
political parties fail to directly engage women and address their
issues.
The survey found that the most important household factor
determining women’s participation is men’s views about women’s
political engagement and the conditions under which they think it is
appropriate for women to vote.
 In a sample, 8.3 percent of men think it is inappropriate for
women to vote in a general election. Unsurprisingly,
households where men think it is inappropriate for women to
vote in elections have an 11 percent lower turnout of women.
 Nearly 55 percent of men in our sample think it is acceptable to
prevent women in their household from voting if they vote
differently from them. Households where men hold these views
had a 4.5 percent lower turnout of women.
 Approximately 43.4 percent of men think it is acceptable to
prevent women from voting if there is a chance of fighting
breaking out at the polling station. Households where men hold
these views had an 8.6 percent lower turnout of women.

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This suggests that men remain important gatekeepers in mediating
women’s ability to vote and that individual attitudes and social
norms upheld by men are an important determinant of women’s
turnout in metropolitan cities. This gatekeeping works not through
coercion but through the need for women to seek permission from
men.
POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE AND MOBILIZATION GAP
A key determinant of women’s turnout in the 2018 elections was
knowledge of politics, elections, and the voting process. A research
conducted by ALL PAKISTAN WOMEN ASSOACIATION shows that
the more knowledge women have of the electoral process and of
politics in general, the more likely they are to participate at the polls.
Poor political knowledge among women is strongly correlated with
low levels of interest in politics and that, in turn, has a strong
association with the low contact between political parties and
women voters. A common refrain heard from women in their focus
groups was that they feel that they are invisible to political parties
and that their issues did not matter. As one respondent put it: “Most
political party members and workers talk to the men in our families
and do not attempt to engage with us. We would appreciate it if
someone made an effort to communicate with us women, and if we
find some merit in what they are saying, we will support them
regardless of the political party.”
Low contact between political parties and women is due to the
gendered nature of mobilization by political parties who typically rely
on men to mobilize the women in their households. In their sample,
22 percent of women reported that a political party representative
had visited their household in the days leading up to the previous
general election. Out of these, almost half (47%) reported that the
party representative did not attempt to speak to the women in the
household. This was much more likely to happen when the party

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only sent a male representative. The failure of political parties to
deepen the base of women workers and leaders is an important
facet of the disengagement of women from politics in metropolitan
cities.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
The gender gap in electoral turnout in Pakistan’s metropolitan cities
reflects complex social dynamics and addressing this challenge
requires the ECP, political parties and civil society organizations
(CSOs) to take concerted action. Such actions include:
 Civil society educational and motivational campaigns are
effective at boosting women’s turnout in the metropolitan
context. A voter education campaign conducted by two
reputable CSOs in Lahore before the 2018 general election had
a large impact and increase women’s turnout by 8 percent,
provided that the campaign targets both men and women in
the household.
 Political parties need to directly engage with women to reduce
their perception of being “politically invisible.” It will be difficult
for political parties to do so unless they deepen their cadres of
women workers and give women greater representation in the
pool of candidates that they nominate. It is important for the
ECP to create greater awareness among political parties about
the importance of women voters for governance as well as
their potential to act as pivotal voters.
 Another instrument that may have promise in reducing
women’s political invisibility is the institutionalization of
women’s collective action groups within neighbourhoods that
can provide them with public spaces to discuss government
performance on public service delivery, and how to make more

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 effective demands for these from their national, provincial, and
local representatives.
 Include women in discussions and negotiations leading to the
adoption of new electoral systems and electoral laws, as well as
in the bodies responsible for the implementation of such
systems and laws.
 Review legislation and regulations to identify elements that
may hinder women’s participation in elections and amend the
laws to rectify any problems identified.
 Encourage the adoption of a legal framework that guarantees
women the right to full and equal participation in elections
 Assist with a gender analysis of the legal framework for
elections to identify shortcomings and propose remedies
 Facilitate the exchange of information and best practices on
women and elections
 Provide information on special measures to increase women’s
representation and encourage their adoption.
 Lobby for women to participate as members and decision
makers in bodies involved in electoral processes.
 Support gender equality through the presentation of position
papers on such issues as international legal instruments,
internal party democracy and special measures.
 Monitor the Government’s implementation of peace
agreements and electoral processes to facilitate full and equal
participation by women.
 Work to ensure displaced and refugee women are not legally
disenfranchised.
 Develop coalitions to galvanize support for constitutional and
electoral reform.
 Provide training on gender equality and human rights for
members of electoral management bodies.

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