• Women hold 22pc of NA seats, only one is a minister
• Barely 10pc of standing committees chaired by women

LAHORE: A report by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Deve­lopment and Transparency (Pildat) has highlighted structural barriers limiting women’s leadership roles despite constitutional guarantees, saying women are denied power despite ample representation.

Highlighting this disparity on the eve of National Women’s Day (Feb 12), the report titled ‘Women in Public Service in Pakistan: Barriers and Recommen­da­tions’ examined the structural and institutional barriers limiting women’s leadership despite constitutional guarantees and affirmative measures.

Supported by Interloop Limited, the report was presented at a dialogue in Lahore attended by women leaders from politics, the civil service, law, media, and civil society, along with Pildat President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob and Provincial Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment Nabila Hakim Ali Khan.

Participants emphasised that informal power structures, weak accountability, and inconsistent enforcement of laws continue to restrict women’s influence.

The report said women hold 22 per cent of seats in the National Assembly, yet only one is a federal minister in the 31-strong cabinet. Similarly, barely 10 per cent of standing committees are chaired by women lawmakers.

The findings showed that women comprised just 5.1pc of the federal civil service (mostly below BS-17), 3.2pc of the police service, and 18pc of judges overall — yet only 5.5pc serve in superior courts. While 85pc of respondents noted improved representation over the past decade, only 35pc felt women’s voices were adequately reflected in decision-making, and just 19pc believed women wielded genuine authority.

Nearly four in five respondents reported experiencing or witnessing barriers, including socio-cultural norms, work-life balance pressures, exclusionary networks, unsafe workplaces, and weak enforcement of equality and anti-harassment laws.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2026