CSS Gender Studies Gender and Governance Flashcards

24 sample cards from the Gender and Governance deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. What is the role of the CNIC (Computerized National Identity Card) in women's voting in Pakistan?

   A valid CNIC is required to register on the electoral rolls and to vote; the historically large gender gap in CNIC registration directly reduced the number of registered women voters.

2. What is the approximate gender gap in registered voters in Pakistan, and why does it matter?

   There has been a gap of roughly 10–12 million fewer registered women voters than men; it matters because it suppresses women's collective electoral weight and political influence.

3. What does NADRA stand for and how is it linked to women's voting?

   National Database and Registration Authority; it issues CNICs that form the basis of the electoral rolls, so NADRA registration drives directly affect how many women can register and vote.

4. What is 'proxy voting' or 'family voting' as a gender issue for women voters?

   The practice where male family members influence, dictate, or cast votes on behalf of women, undermining the secrecy and autonomy of women's votes even when they are formally enfranchised.

5. How can women function as a 'vote bank', and why are parties sometimes reluctant to mobilise them?

   Women constitute nearly half the electorate and can swing results if mobilised as a bloc; some parties under-invest in mobilising women due to patriarchal norms, informal bans, and the cost of providing separate facilities.

6. Name two measures used in Pakistan to increase women's voter registration and turnout.

   NADRA mobile registration units/relaxed documentation drives to issue women CNICs, and the ECP/Section 9 requirement of a minimum 10% female turnout per constituency (plus separate polling booths and awareness campaigns).

7. What is the difference between a 'candidate' and a 'representative' in the electoral process?

   A candidate is a person who stands/contests for elected office; a representative is one who has been elected and holds office, acting on behalf of constituents.

8. Under Pakistan's Elections Act 2017, what minimum percentage of general seat tickets must each political party award to women candidates?

   At least 5% of general seat tickets must be awarded to women candidates by each political party.

9. What is the difference between women winning seats on 'general/direct' seats versus 'reserved' seats in Pakistan?

   General seats are won through direct election by contesting open constituencies; reserved seats are filled by proportional representation from party lists based on the seats a party wins—so reserved-seat members are indirectly elected, not directly chosen by voters.

10. What is the 'glass ceiling' as it relates to women as candidates and representatives?

    An invisible barrier of structural and cultural obstacles that prevents women from rising to top elected/leadership positions despite their qualifications, keeping them concentrated in lower or symbolic roles.

11. List three obstacles women face when contesting elections as candidates in Pakistan.

    High cost of campaigning and lack of independent finances, patriarchal party structures denying winnable tickets, harassment/character attacks and violence, limited mobility, and the 'electables' culture favouring established (often male) power-brokers.

12. What is 'tokenism' in the context of women representatives?

    Including a small, symbolic number of women to appear inclusive without giving them real power, resources or influence over decisions—presence without substantive participation.

13. What is the 'critical mass' theory of women's representation, and what threshold is commonly cited?

    It holds that women representatives can meaningfully influence policy and institutional culture only once they reach a sufficient proportion—commonly cited as around 30%—rather than being isolated tokens.

14. Who was Pakistan's (and the Muslim world's) first woman Prime Minister, and when did she first take office?

    Benazir Bhutto, who became Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988—the first woman to head an elected government in a Muslim-majority country.

15. Who was Pakistan's first woman Speaker of the National Assembly?

    Dr. Fehmida Mirza, who served as Speaker of the National Assembly from 2008, the first woman to hold that office in Pakistan.

16. What is the difference between women's 'presence' in assemblies and their 'effective participation'?

    Presence is being seated as a member (numbers); effective participation is the ability to speak, legislate, sit on key committees, control budgets and shape decisions—presence does not automatically yield influence.

17. What is a 'gender quota' in politics?

    A measure that sets a minimum number or proportion of women for candidate lists or legislative seats, used as affirmative/positive action to increase women's representation.

18. What are the three main types of electoral gender quotas?

    Reserved seats (a number of seats set aside for women), legislative/legal candidate quotas (law requires parties to field a quota of women candidates), and voluntary political party quotas (parties self-impose targets).

19. Which type of quota does Pakistan primarily use for women in legislatures?

    Reserved seats—a fixed number of seats reserved for women in the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies, filled by proportional representation from party lists.

20. How many seats are reserved for women in Pakistan's National Assembly, and what is the total house size?

    60 seats are reserved for women in the National Assembly out of 336 total seats (266 general and 10 for non-Muslims).

21. What percentage of the National Assembly do women's reserved seats represent, and how are they allocated?

    60 of 336 seats, roughly 17%; they are allocated to parties through proportional representation in proportion to the number of general seats each party wins in the National Assembly.

22. Trace the change in women's reserved seats in Pakistan: what happened to the quota under the 1985 lapse and the 2002 LFO?

    Reserved seats existed under the 1973 Constitution but the reservation lapsed in 1988 (after expiry of the provision in the mid-1980s), leaving very few women; General Musharraf's Legal Framework Order (2002) restored and raised reserved seats to about 17% (60 in the NA), greatly increasing women's numbers.

23. What reservation exists for women in Pakistan's local government system?

    Local government laws reserve a significant share—commonly 33%—of seats for women in union councils/local bodies, dramatically expanding grassroots women's representation since the 2001 devolution.

24. State two positive impacts and two criticisms of the political quota (reserved seats) for women in Pakistan.

    Positive: a sharp rise in women's numerical presence and legislative output (pro-women laws, e.g., on harassment, acid crime, honour killing). Criticism: reserved-seat members are nominated by party leaders so are seen as beholden to parties rather than voters, may lack independent constituencies, and the quota can foster tokenism instead of winnable general-seat tickets.

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