FROM POLICY TO PRACTICE: EVALUATING PAKISTAN’S EFFORTS IN MAINSTREAMING GENDER FOR WOMEN’S INCLUSION

Abstract

Pakistan’s national development is critically hampered by the persistent exclusion of women, a reality starkly contrasted by its robust framework of gender equality policies. This study evaluates the country’s efforts to mainstream gender for women’s inclusion, identifying a profound and systemic implementation gap. Utilizing a qualitative mixed-methods approach, the research combines critical analysis of policy documents with semi-structured interviews (n=24) with policymakers, implementers, civil society representatives, and beneficiaries. The investigation is guided by an integrated theoretical framework of Feminist Institutionalism and the Gender Machineries framework to analyze the power dynamics at play. The findings reveal that despite sophisticated policy design, implementation is crippled by a trifecta of barriers: the deliberate marginalization and under resourcing of official gender machineries (e.g., NCSW, Gender Units), which strips them of authority and efficacy; the overpowering influence of deep-rooted patriarchal informal institutions that subvert formal laws; and a consistent failure to translate policy rhetoric into budgetary commitment and operational action. The discussion posits that this gap is a form of ritualistic conformity, where policy creation serves as a legitimizing performance for the state rather than a genuine commitment to transformative change. The study concludes that without a fundamental shift to empower implementation bodies, confront patriarchal power structures, and mandate financial accountability, Pakistan’s gender policies will remain symbolic gestures, failing to achieve the substantive inclusion vital for national progress.

Keywords: Gender Mainstreaming, Implementation Gap, Feminist Institutionalism, Gender Machineries, Pakistan, Women’s Inclusion, Policy-Practice Disconnect.