Women Empowerment and Political Decision-making.

Byline: Dr. Hina Rashid

W omen's empowerment may be described in various ways, such as recognizing women's voices and elevating women's positions through learning, consciousness, communication, and practice. It inspires women to acknowledge their individuality and self-worth, act courageously and fight the barriers that hold them back from unleashing their potential. Women in the 21st century have much more privileges than they did in the past; still, they're far behind compared to men regarding participation in different sectors, particularly the economy and politics. Empowerment and political decision-making are interlinked concepts. Empowerment enables participation in the political decision-making process; on the other hand, the participation of women in the political process ultimately leads to more empowerment.

The inclusion of women in political decision-making is vital for democratic governance. If the voice of half of the population is not included in the political arrangements, it would be considered fragile. Equal and meaningful participation and influence of women in decision-making are mandatory to ensure social and political justice. Feminists raise concerns regarding the exclusion of women in political leadership roles. The states addressed this issue at the Beijing Platform for Action at the fourth world conference on women in 1995. Beijing Platform for Action 1995 The platform suggested two mandatory initiatives to improve women's participation. First, it suggested adopting all necessary measures to ensure women's access to participatory and decision-making structures for example, the allocation of a political quota.

Secondly, the platform affirmed enhancing women's ability to participate. It also suggested improving this ability through leadership training and public campaigning. By following this strategy, several states reserved and allocated seats for women in all significant departments and sectors. However, years have passed since the milestone of this platform and the assurance of signatory states regarding the protection of women's civil and political rights still, politics seem to be the realm of men overwhelmingly. The figures show that women's presence in decision-making structures is more visible and notable than earlier. According to ODI's report on Women's voice and leadership in decision-making, women's inclusion in the national parliament increased from 11.3% in 1995 to 22% in 2015. The number of women in...