Evaluating the Importance of Female Leadership in Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The participation of Women in politics fosters gender equality, democratic progress and social development. The purpose of this article is to draw insights over the political culture of Pakistan to understand the challenges hindering the progress of women in political leadership, including cultural norms, values, beliefs, religious influences, and structural barriers. The importance of female leadership can be seen through the history of Pakistan, where female political personalities served the nation and brought women related policies as well. The women’s role was neglected and ignored during the dark democratic past of Pakistani politics. However, the articles highlight the historical trends, failures and success stories. The analytical research design with qualitative approach is used to analyze the secondary sources to provide a better understanding of the challenges associated and opportunities. The article hence provides a nuanced understanding of political culture of Pakistan and finds that political system is the main reason of women under representation. The study provides recommendations and urges the governments, civic society, and other stakeholders to work together to prioritize gender equality and empower women to play a larger role in determining the country's future