LACK AND INSUFFICIENT POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN GILGIT- BALTISTAN

Abstract

Women politicians in Pakistan are still a rare sight even though Pakistan had a female PM in the 1990s, at a time when most other states had none yet. The rare sight of women in politics in Pakistan is because of segregation of public and private sphere for men and women which has restricted women participation in public sphere in Pakistan. This study shed light on the factors hindering political participation in Gilgit- Baltistan. Further it examines the impacts of social capital on access to political positions in Gilgit- Baltistan. The study shows that women politicians do not observe active participation in politics in GB because of restraining political environment, lack of direct social interaction in constituency of women, patriarchal hurdles to women in politics, non-incumbency of female politicians, female politician's low social capital and non-inclusive political system of Gilgit Baltistan.