Paper short abstract:

Despite being prominent actors in public protests demanding state accountability, why do women find it hard to be visible in protests’ leadership as well as in decision-making inside their homes? We probe this invisibility analyzing the intersection of patriarchy and leadership in conflict settings.

Paper long abstract:

In the past three years protesters in Quetta have twice demanded the presence of Pakistan’s chief of army staff and the prime minister to hold them accountable over the killings of Hazaras, an ethnic minority in the region. Twice the most powerful man in the country came. Key in these protests was the public role of Hazara women demanding answers. Yet, despite being prominent actors in public protests demanding state accountability, many of these women found it hard to be part of the male-dominated decision-making leadership bodies controlling these protests. Additionally, the empowering feeling of holding the most powerful actors in the country accountable publicly did not translate into any emancipation in the privacy of the home for most of these women. In this paper, we analyze a series of interviews conducted with key female participants in these protests to unpack the intersection of institutional barriers such as patriarchy and leadership attributes, and its impact on women’s visibility in decision-making processes both inside and outside the home. Through a deeper understanding of why women’s social and political actions that are visible publicly in conflict and violence-affected settings do not trigger larger institutional changes, we aim to contribute to the literature on women leadership and resistance.