Woman MPs outperformed men in assemblies: HRCP report

LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has issued a report on performance of women legislators from August 2018-Aug 2020.

The survey found that woman parliamentarians outperformed their male colleagues in most of the reviewed criteria, including attending parliamentary proceedings. For every woman in parliament there are four men. There are 20 percent women in the National Assembly but they are heading only 6 percent of the committees. They remain under represented in Sindh and KP in chairing standing committees while women got over twice their proportional share in the Punjab Assembly. Similarly, Balochistan Assembly gave an additional 50pc share of female MPAs in chairing standing committees. The legislators have identified continued barriers to their performance and suggested measures for empowerment of women in politics.

Female legislators identified discriminatory cultural norms and stereotypes about women in society as one of the most significant barriers which not only hindered their entry into politics, but also continued to impact their performance in the assembly. They said media questions them less about work and more about their personal lives. Does media questions male legislators about their personal lives?

Another barrier they highlighted was the unwillingness of political parties to promote women in their ranks. Thus, women are left out of key decision making positions in the assemblies and parties. Political parties are also reluctant to allot election tickets to women for winnable general seats and women who come on reserved seats are looked down upon and marginalised by both, men and women on general seats.

They pointed out that institutions (government, parliament, political parties) and processes (elections, judicial appointments) make it harder for women to enter and excel within the political arena. Absence of gender equality policies and lack of respect for women in the political sphere make it difficult for women to perform their legislative functions effectively.

The report underlines capacity building challenges. Lack of political education and knowledge of processes among women and a lack of research support or access to relevant information make it difficult for legislators to propose evidence-based reform or to conduct effective oversight.

Insufficient staff, offices, researchers, and other support infrastructure are key barriers to increased effectiveness and improved performance of legislators.