everal structural elements in the Pakistani society contribute to exclusion of women from the political space, including local governments,which are an important administrative setup at the grassroots level.

To address this issue, a decentralisation initiative was launched in March 2000 under the Local Government Ordinance that provided for a third of seats in local government bodies to be reserved for women. Although the number is significant in terms of representation, women’s input in decision making has remained meagre.

Women in local governments face several challenges. Domestic abuse is a frequent complaint. The problem prevents many women from effectively performing their roles in the society. Patriarchal norms dominate the culture within households and in public spaces in both urban and rural set-ups.

Women are mostly left out of decision-making.When they share insights and offer advice, they are not taken seriously. Harassment at the workplace is another challenge identified by working women as well as elected female officials and potential candidates. Many of them say they are not comfortable with some of their male colleagues in council meetings and during political campaigns.

There are considerable information and awareness gaps with regard to local government laws. The local government schools in the province have been unable to adequately enhance the capacities of elected members and potential candidates. Seeing lack of progress, many women are frustrated and quit citing religious, cultural and social barriers to their full participation. Access to the powers vested in elected local government representatives is seldom realised.

Many of the women aspiring for local government roles are unaware of the rights and responsibilities associated with their role as elected representative of the community. This results in exclusion from or poor participation in budget-making and setting priorities for development planning besides deliberate exclusion from political processions etc.

Little to no availability of party funds restricts their campaign activities should they bid for general seats. Most women are unable to bear the networking and information costs incurred while establishing a presence in the political milieu. Male members of their families often discourage them to put up their names and pictures on campaign posters due to the social stigma attached to the practice.

Abuse of digital tools is yet another challenge.Attempts to tarnish the image of women contesting the elections are not unheard of. On the other hand, many women do not know how they can harness the power of social media to build successful political careers. The lower literacy rate amongst women, particularly in rural areas, also limits their growth in the local governance sector.

Most of these issues are common to all the four provinces of Pakistan.These require radical responses in terms of awareness raising, capacity building and policy improvement so that greater female presence in local governments can make a difference. Listed below are some recommendations to strengthen female political participation in general and in local governments in particular.

Universities should be taken on board for measures pertaining to good governance. Relevant departments/centers should convene forums featuring networking sessions for local government officials, especially females. Such sessions help lower information costs and the time it takes for local government officials to acquire basic information around rules, processes and procedures.

These forums should not only invite local government officials but also party leaders from the provincial and federal levels (MPAs and MNAs), in addition to members of civil service that are part of the district administration. MPAs and MNAs should also be engaged in mentorship programmes facilitated by local government schools.

Awareness campaigns and capacity-building sessions can be effective for increasing the knowledge and skills of women, thus enabling them to perform their roles as local government representatives. Women need to be educated about the basic local government structures in their provinces and be trained in election laws and local government rules. They should understand their roles and responsibilities and develop conflict resolution skills. They should also learn public finance management, citizen engagement and essentials of public speaking.

There should be orientation sessions on how information technology and tech-based tools can help officials improve service delivery and accountability. Aspiring candidates should learn how they can build a relationships with potential voters.

Stakeholders in good governance must support initiatives to increase women’s participation in decision-making at the local government level. Interventions in this regard could include establishing quotas for women’s representation in local government councils or creating mechanisms to ensure that women’s voices are heard in the decision-making process.

Gender-sensitive budgeting should be promoted at the local government level. This means that budgets should be allocated equitably to meet the needs of men and women. Women should have equal access to opportunities in the political process. This includes ensuring that they have access to voter registration and polling stations and are not subject to intimidation or violence when exercising their political rights.

It is not just the women that need capacity-building and awareness;awareness sessions are also needed for men. They should discuss the harm of gender-based violence and child marriages and the benefits of promoting women’s education, economic empowerment and political participation.

Women’s participation in local government can be a game changer. These recommendations can help improve the extent and quality of such participation.

The writer is a research associate at the Economic Growth Unit. Her twitter handle is @mahnoorm10