Impact of International Conventions on woman political participation in Pakistan and Bangladesh (2000-2020)

Authors

  • Muna Khayal Khattak Lecturer, Department of International Relations, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, and PhD Scholar, School of Politics and International Relation, Quaid e Azam University, Islamabad.
  • Dr. Saweeda Rahman PhD Supervisor and Assistant Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid e Azam University, Islamabad.

Keywords:

Feminist Institutionalism, Women’s Political Participation, CEDAW, Gender Quotas, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Patriarchy and South Asian Studies

Abstract

Women’s political participation in Pakistan and Bangladesh remains limited despite constitutional provisions and gender quotas, with Pakistan allocating 17% reserved seats in parliament and 30% at the local level, while Bangladesh offers 14% in parliament and 33% locally. Although both countries have formally committed to international gender conventions --Pakistan ratified CEDAW in 1996 (with reservations) and Bangladesh in 1984 (with reservations) -- their implementation remains symbolic due to deep-rooted patriarchal norms. International frameworks such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda aim to mainstream gender equality in political institutions. These frameworks have influenced gender-related laws and policies in both countries, yet failed to deliver substantive representation due to informal institutional resistance. This study employs a qualitative comparative case study method using document analysis, guided by the lens of Feminist Institutionalism (FI). The findings reveal that while Bangladesh has taken a step ahead by adopting a National Action Plan (NAP) for WPS in 2019 and incorporating gender budgeting, both countries continue to exhibit symbolic female political participation driven by dynastic politics, male patronage, and weak institutional enforcement. The study concludes that meaningful gender inclusion requires restructuring informal institutional norms alongside formal reforms.

References

Asian Development Bank. (2018). Bangladesh: Gender equality diagnostic of selected sectors. https://www.adb.org/documents/bangladesh-gender-equality-diagnostic-selected-sectors

Bano, S. (2009). Women in parliament in Pakistan: Problems and potential solutions. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Women-in-Parliament-in-Pakistan:-Problems-and-Bano/3dcadf97c075e41cdc365937d88103e82d31df08

Bari, F. (2009). Role and performance: Assessment of Pakistan women parliamentarians, 2002–2007. Islamabad: Pattan Development Organization.

CEDAW. (n.d.). UN Women – Asia-Pacific. https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/countries/pakistan/programmes-pakistan/cedaw

Chappell, L. (2006). Comparing political institutions: Revealing the gendered ‘logic of appropriateness’. Politics & Gender, 2(2), 223–235. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X06221044

Chappell, L., & Waylen, G. (2013). Gender and the hidden life of institutions. Public Administration, n/a–n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2012.02104.x

Chandramohan, S., et al. (2023). Diagnosing norms and norm change in rural Bangladesh: An exploration of gendered social norms and women’s empowerment. BMC Public Health, 23, 2337. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17213-2

Childs, S., & Krook, M. L. (2009). Analysing women’s substantive representation: From critical mass to critical actors. Government and Opposition, 44(2), 125–145.

Chowdhury, F. (2004). Problems of women’s political participation in Bangladesh: An empirical study. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Problems-of-Women%27s-Political-Participation-in-An-Chowdhury/3addac43fdd874b2b729b790fa2ca414e395199b

Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. (n.d.). https://pakistancode.gov.pk/english/UY2FqaJw1-apaUY2Fqa-apaUY2Fvbpw%3D-sg-jjjjjjjjjjjjj

Election Commission of Pakistan. (n.d.). https://ecp.gov.pk/general-elections#

ECP summons party heads over failure to allocate 5% tickets to women. (2025, April 15). The Express Tribune. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2491709/ecp-summons-heads-of-several-political-parties-to-explain-shortfall-of-women-tickets

Gondal, A. Q. (2023). Women’s rights protection: Analysis of implementation of CEDAW and Beijing Declaration in Pakistan. https://www.academia.edu/124600958

Jabeen, M. (2021). Political representation of women in parliament of Pakistan after restoration and increase in gender quotas (2002 to 2018). Pak-Euro Journal of Medical and Life Sciences, 41, 163–174.

Jalalzai, F. (2016). Shattered, cracked, or firmly intact?: Women and the executive glass ceiling worldwide. Oxford University Press.

Kabeer, N. (2000). Social exclusion, poverty and discrimination: Towards an analytical framework. IDS Bulletin, 31(4), 83–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1759-5436.2000.mp31004009.x

Khattak, M. K., & Arshad, F. (2023). The case of institutionalizing women political participation in Pakistan’s legislature: Prospects and challenges. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 11(4), 4819–4825. https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2023.v11i4.1958

Legal Framework Order, 2002. (n.d.). https://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/musharraf_const_revival/lfo.html

Lowndes, V. (2020). How are political institutions gendered? Political Studies, 68(4), 677–696. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321719867667

Mackay, F., & Kenny, M. (2010). New institutionalism through a gender lens: Towards a feminist institutionalism. International Political Science Review, 31(5), 573–588.

Mackay, F. (2004). Gender and political representation in the UK: The state of the ‘discipline’. The British Journal of Politics & International Relations, 6(1), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-856X.2004.00129.x

Mumtaz, K., & Shaheed, F. (1987). Women of Pakistan: Two steps forward, one step back? London: Zed Books.

Nazneen, S., & Mahmud, S. (2012). Gendered politics of securing inclusive development. SSRN Scholarly Paper. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2386614

Oxford Academic. (n.d.). The aid lab: Understanding Bangladesh’s unexpected success. https://academic.oup.com/book/7707?login=false

Panday, P. K. (2013). Women’s political participation in Bangladesh: Institutional reforms, actors and outcomes. New Delhi: Springer.

Qureshi, A., & Ahmad, S. (2022). Reserved seats for women in Pakistan: Reinforcement of patriarchy and powerlessness (2002–2018). Women’s Studies International Forum, 94, 102629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2022.102629

Shaheed, F. (2010). Contested identities: Gendered politics, gendered religion in Pakistan. Third World Quarterly, 31(6), 851–867.

The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. (n.d.). http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-details-367.html

Waylen, G. (2013). The Oxford handbook of gender and politics. Oxford University Press.

Waylen, G. (2014). Informal institutions, institutional change, and gender equality. Political Research Quarterly, 67(1), 212–223.

Downloads

Published

03-05-2025