Vol. 4 No. 4 (2021): Pakistan Journal of International Affairs
Articles

ROLE OF FEMALE PARLIAMENTARIANS IN POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN PAKISTAN

Published 2021-12-31

Abstract

This article attempts to elucidate the female parliamentarian’s role in social and political change in Pakistan by looking at it through the lens of the country’s historical progress. With an emphasis on historical evolution and current situation, the article also discusses social constraints that have made it difficult for women to engage in the political system in the past. Women’s political engagement should be enhanced in the future, and an assessment of these concerns may produce some helpful ideas. In this study article, researchers have examined employing a qualitative research approach which is also called market research method that focuses on acquiring data through open-ended and conversational dialogue. These qualitative research approaches allow for in-depth and additional probing and questioning of respondents based on their responses, where the researchers also seek to understand their purpose and sentiments. The study also finds that Women’s political empowerment across the country is limited by social and cultural standards, as well as by their economic dependency on the male counterparts of their household. Women’s engagement is also limited by low literacy rates and the segregation of men and women in social positions. There will be no meaningful impact on women’s engagement in the public life particularly political life, until there is a progressive adjustment in societal standards, which should begin at the grassroots level and work its way up. For starters, women must be granted greater social and economic autonomy.