Hegemonic Masculinity in Politics and It’s Influence on Women’s Representation

Abstract

Political structures have long been shaped by masculinity, reinforcing male dominance and limiting women's access to decision-making power. This study uses a mixed-methods approach to examine how hegemonic masculinity impacts women's political representation and their exclusion from decision-making roles within political parties. The survey was conducted with female members of Pakistan's two largest political parties, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), using structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The quantitative phase identified trends in women's descriptive representation within the parties, highlighting the extent of their involvement in various political roles. The qualitative phase, on the other hand, explored women's substantive representation, focusing on their personal and subjective experiences, and how they perceive and are affected by their representation in political spaces. The findings demonstrate a significant negative relationship between hegemonic masculinity and women's representation in decision-making, with cultural norms acting as barriers that reinforce male-dominated power structures. This study provides practical evidence of the obstacles to gender equality in politics and highlights the need for inclusive measures to enhance women's influence in political decision-making processes.