Chapter 7

CSS/GENDER STUDIES/CHAPTER VII
VII. Gender and Governance
 Defining Governance
 The exercise of economic, political, and administrative authority to manage a country’s

affairs at all levels. It comprises mechanisms, processes, and institutions through which
citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their
obligations, and mediate their differences.
 The traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised
 Establishment of policies, and continuous monitoring of their proper implementation,
by the members of the governing body of an organization. It includes the mechanisms
required to balance the powers of the members (with the associated accountability), and
their primary duty of enhancing the prosperity and viability of the organization.
 Suffragist Movement
 The word "suffragette" was first used to describe women campaigning for the right to
vote in an article in a British newspaper in 1906.
 Although British women and men had been arguing for both universal and women’s
suffrage since the 1860s, the movement for women’s votes accelerated when Emmeline
Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia founded the Women’s Social and
Political Union (WSPU) in 1903 – a more radical organization than some of the earlier
ones fighting for suffrage. Its slogan was "Deeds Not Words" and in fact the WSPU
became more and more militant as the years went on and the British government refused
to support women’s suffrage.
 In 1906 a Liberal government was elected to Parliament for the first time, with first
Henry Campbell-Bannerman and then, in 1908, Herbert Henry Asquith as Prime
Minister. Suffragettes were very hopeful that the Liberals would support them as
promised in many candidates’ election campaigns. But they were to be disappointed,
particularly with Asquith, a noted anti-suffragist. Even the Women’s Sunday March in
Hyde Park in June 1908, in which 250,000 people shouted "Votes for Women," did not
move Asquith to allow a suffrage bill to be introduced.
 On 18 November 1910 a protest in Parliament Square turned violent and police beat
many suffragettes. After that the movement began to wage guerrilla warfare,
orchestrating systematic window-smashing and arson attacks. As it became more
radical and violent, the WSPU lost many of its supporters.
 In August 1914 war was declared in Europe. The suffrage movement suspended its
activities, the government released all suffragettes from prison, and the Pankhursts and
others threw themselves into supporting Britain’s war effort. Around a million women
took on men’s jobs as they went off to fight in the war.
 In February 1918, the Government passed an act giving women the vote if they were
over the age of 30 and either owned property or rented for at least £5/year, or were the
Prepared by Mr. Zahoor Elahi (CSP) 03004578032

wife of someone who did. As a result, 8.5 million women became entitled to vote in the
General Election of 1918.
 On 2 July 1928, a law was passed allowing all women over the age of 21 to vote.
 Some believe the movement’s militancy made the Government more intransigent.
Others say the 1918 Act was passed as a reward for women’s efforts during the war
rather than anything the suffragettes did. There is no doubt, however, that the
suffragettes raised the profile of the issue of women’s votes to that of national
consideration.
 Gender Issues in Women as Voters
 It is an accepted reality that the women has been struggling for the right to vote since
the conception of women’ role in the politics generally in the world but the campaign
specifically initiated from United States.
 The both sexes and the gender in reality is the basic way to articulate the different
dimensions with various aspects in different times. The political sense of the women is
less admirable as compare to men with the several decision-making skills that are only
present at male level.
 The stereotypic behavior of the gender with the several aspects needs to be removed
instantly.
 The women should also involve in politics so that the gender issues in women as the
biggest part of the society can be transformed into the voters
 The elections of 2013 marked the first democratic transition from one government to
the next and also saw a substantially higher rate of voter participation. The highest
number of women voter turnout-45 percent-was also recorded in the said elections.
 Gender gap in the voter registration.
 Mobility restrictions
 Security issues
 Gender Issues in Women as Candidates
 The under-represented is the state that is being enjoyed by the women in the political
arena across the countries. The least engagement of the women in the democratic
participation is not so essential at any level.
 The representation of women through the different aspects of the trade unions can
necessary to develop with several aspects, from government to trade unions.
 Capacity gaps mean women are less likely than men to have the education, contacts and
resources needed to become effective leaders, an obstacle while participating in politics.
 The gender balance is therefore as necessary as it could be essential for the dimensional
approach.
 The addition of women is explicit at government departments and also at major level
of governance. This is wrong hidden agenda of political parties to include women in
representation and even at candidate level but the women is being ignored at
governance level while pursuing for the public policy.
 Gender Issues in Women as Representatives
Though more women are now contesting on general seats, women’s representation in the
national and provincial assemblies and in the senate is essentially achieved through a gender
quota that is filled indirectly by nomination. These indirectly elected women lack a power base
because they are not accountable to a constituency, which reinforces their dependency on the
party leadership. And though women elected indirectly on reserved seats have played a critical
role in pushing though pro-women legislation and highlighting human rights issues, they are
generally considered less important in comparison to their directly elected female colleagues.
The gender is the first and foremost aspect of the governance with different usage and on
another sexuality and race is not behind any comparison. As the matter of fact, the decision
making at political level can never ignore the women at large level because the women in power
is the greatest treasures for the communities that are considered as the modern with vast level
of liberal touch. The institutions of the governance is there to revolutionize the whole system
of women authority over the democracy so that the gender equality can accomplish.
 Impact of Political Quota in Pakistan
 The woman is the agile agenda in Pakistan’ politics and the main reason of the politics
of women are to get the free and fair institutions in Pakistan without any forceful event.
 The free participation of women was firstly considered by the Pakistan when the first
Report of the Commission of Inquiry for Women was come in August 1997.
 The commission at that time and the all women related institutions are aware about the
women representation in the political institutions and demands about the 33 per cent
women quota in the political arena.
 The women quota in the political institutions in Pakistan is not new to all previous
constitutions namely; 1956, 1962, 1970 and even the 1973 but the implementation of
the quota as per the strategy formulation was almost absent in those days. Therefore, a
new wave of Political Quota in Pakistan has been observed with the endorsements of
these movements in Pakistan specifically getting the women in consideration.
 The latest election of 2013 showed that the women comes out in the biggest format to
cast their vote and showed that the women representation is necessary for the political
wheel of the country. Nevertheless, as the matter of fact, still about 11 million women
are still not even registered as the voters and only need to enfranchise those 11 million
women so that the quota of political system could get the latest figures of improvements
in the best possible way.

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CSS/GENDER STUDIES/CHAPTER VII

VII. Gender and Governance

 The exercise of economic, political, and administrative authority to manage a country’s

Prepared by Mr. Zahoor Elahi (CSP) 03004578032

 Gender Issues in Women as Voters

 Gender Issues in Women as Candidates

 Gender Issues in Women as Representatives

 Impact of Political Quota in Pakistan

Prepared by Mr. Zahoor Elahi (CSP) 03004578032

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