Bloodlines and Barriers: Political Dynasties and Women’s Political Participation in South Asia

Abstract

South Asia presents a paradox: the region has produced some of the world’s longest-serving female leaders, yet women’s overall political participation remains dismally low. This article examines the impact of dynastic politics on women’s political participation in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Drawing on a feminist institutionalist framework, it argues that dynastic succession, sustained by clientelism and corruption, functions as an informal institutional nexus that simultaneously enables and constrains women’s participation. Dynasties provide women from elite families entry into politics, particularly in moments of crisis or the absence of male heirs. Yet the same networks marginalise non-dynastic women, capture quota seats, and confine women to symbolic rather than substantive roles. By comparing Pakistan and Bangladesh, this article demonstrates how the dynasty–clientelism–corruption nexus sustains patriarchal political orders, producing descriptive but not substantive representation for women.