ISLAMABAD: Women Parliamentarians are actively participating at important institutions like Parliament and Senate during the year 2018- 2019 , giving vital input for bringing social and economic change.
According to the report of Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), during the year 2018-2019, women parliamentarians maintained a track record of consistently surpassing reasonable performance expectations by making remarkable contributions to setting the agenda for parliamentary business.
Report says that female lawmakers constitute one fifth (20 percent or 89) of the Parliament – 69 in the National Assembly and 20 in the Senate.
They sponsored 53 percent private members’ bills, 27 percent resolutions, 47 percent Calling Attention Notices, and 32 percent questions in both Houses of the Parliament.
Report claimed that they also initiated 40 percent proposals for amendments to the parliamentary rules of procedure and 39 percent motions for debate on issues of public importance and they initiated around 30 percent of the parliamentary interventions singly or in partnership with other women while also partnered an additional three percent business with their male colleagues.
On an average, each female lawmaker in the National Assembly sponsored eight agenda items in comparison to three items by each male lawmaker, however, in the Senate, they sponsored seven agenda items as compared to eight items by their male colleagues.
Report further revealed that besides agenda contribution, female lawmakers also actively participated in the debates on scheduled business and in raising Points of Order and Matters of Public Importance. Around 62 percent female lawmakers – 46 percent of female MNAs and 90 percent of female Senators – contributed to the discussions and debates during the parliamentary proceedings.
An analysis of the official attendance records of the National Assembly and the Senate illustrates that female lawmakers are more regular in attendance than their male colleagues.
It said that on an average, each female Member of the National Assembly (MNA) attended 83 percent of the Lower House sittings while each Senator attended 64 percent of the Senate sittings.
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