Campaigns

In Pakistan, where instability, distrust, violence and political rivalries can impede interaction among political parties, women and young people — the majority of the population — often have difficulty making their voices heard.

According to some estimates, more than 60 percent of Pakistanis are under the age of 35. Yet women and young people seldom have leadership opportunities or seats on decision making bodies.    

Across the country, female operatives are leading more campaigns, starting their own political consulting firms, taking the reins of Super PACs and controlling millions in independent expenditure dollars.

“I think it’s pretty easy to say it’s a male-dominated industry,” says Kelly Gibson, a Democratic media consultant with the Hamburger Company. “But there are these sort of little pockets that are just run by women. And probably every big race I’m on now, there’s a female on the consulting team.”

In dealing with women’s issues in Jakarta, the candidates to be Jakarta’s next governor are apparently not all on the same page.

During a public discussion entitled “Perempuan Jakarta Nyari Gubernur” (Jakarta women seek a governor) on Tuesday, Alex Noerdin and Joko “Jokowi” Widodo focused on maternity needs.