Women in political rallies of Pakistan: It counts but does not weight

Abstract

The large number of female participants in political rallies is often cited as a political party’s success in making women more active in the political sphere. However, there is not much research, in Pakistan, examining whether these women have gender consciousness and motivation to extend their political activity beyond participation in a rally. The study involves interviews of women attending political rallies in Pakistan during the election campaign of 2018 to inquire about their purpose of attending the rally and their motivation to run for office for the same party. The research found that high political activity of females in Pakistan provides no guarantee for women’s political empowerment. Women lacked gender identity but are extending their familial and other social roles in the political arena. While they are willing to become political leaders, they lacked enthusiasm and their goals of joining politics are subject to either mobilization by the political party or performance of that party in the future. This study concludes that while increasing the number of women voters and political activists is important, equating it with women’s empowerment leads to misinterpretation in the form of comprehension and factual flaws.