In Pakistan, millions missing from electoral rolls as women ‘lack autonomy’ to vote
- In rural areas, women are barred from voting by elders who believe they belong at home and should be protected from the ‘hostilities’ of politics
- Those who do vote are often pressured to pick a candidate of a male relative’s choice, activists say
Perched on her traditional charpai bed, Naeem Kausir says she would like to vote in Pakistan’s coming election – if only the men in her family would let her.
Like all the women in her town, the 60-year-old former principal and her seven daughters – six already university educated – are forbidden from voting by their male elders.
“Whether by her husband, father, son or brother, a woman is forced. She lacks the autonomy to make decisions independently,” said Kausir, covered in a veil in the courtyard of her home.
“These men lack the courage to grant women their rights,” the widow said.
Although voting is a constitutional right for all adults in Pakistan, some rural areas in the socially conservative country are still ruled by a patriarchal system of male village elders who wield significant influence in their communities.
