Women’s participation in our country’s politics is low. There are economic, social, and cultural reasons behind this. The political arena is not a women-friendly environment. Of course, politics does not exist outside society. The way our society views women is reflected in the political sphere as well. Some may argue that two women led the country’s two largest parties for 45 years and governed as heads of government for 35 years—so how can it be said that female leadership is not accepted in the country? That is indeed an argument.

The question is, they are two individuals. They entered politics through familial succession in a moment of vacuum. Then they became leaders in their own right. But that cannot be considered a general rule.

So, after so many years of women’s leadership at the highest level of the state, has the social attitude toward women become positive? Perhaps to some extent, but in many cases, we are also seeing regression.

Even so, we have a constitution that guarantees equal rights and dignity for men and women. At the same time, many provisions of religious laws are also in force. As a result, a contradictory situation has emerged.

Our government has adopted the CEDAW convention on women’s empowerment and participation, albeit with reservations. Several clauses of the convention have still not been accepted. On this matter, there appears to be an unwritten understanding among the major mainstream political parties. When in power, they have ignored the issue.