Women’s Socialization, Work, and Politics: Evidence from Pakistan

• In Event: Women’s Political, Economic, and Social Lives in Muslim-Majority Countries

Abstract

Under what conditions does women’s labor force participation lead to political participation and agency? Academics and policymakers alike believe that women’s labor force participation, or work for pay, is the key to improving their empowerment more broadly. However, the evidence that links women’s work and politics in developing democracies is sparse. This paper argues that previous studies of women's LFP do not account for women's socialization into work in patriarchal societies. In such societies, women are socialized from a young age to see participation in the labor force as men's work and as undesirable or stigmatized for women. I use over 100 qualitative interviews, an original survey of women in Pakistan, and survey experiments to argue that women’s work does not necessarily lead to political participation or agency. I then argue that women's socialization, or how they are raised to think about work from a young age, profoundly shapes their political engagement and conditions the effect of LFP on their political engagement.

Author

• Natalya Adam-Rahman, Stanford University