Female MNAs filed 1,058 questions during 2025–2026, compared with 903 filed by male MNAs. Of female MNAs’ questions, 982 were addressed; of male MNAs’ questions, 801 were addressed. The addressed rate of female members was 92.8%, and for male members, it was 88.7%. The Gender Responsiveness Score for parliamentary questions is 1.0 Â the only high-volume category in which full gender parity in institutional treatment is documented.
How this is measured
Parliamentary questions are tracked as a distinct category within FAFEN’s legislative monitoring database. The Questions document is provided separately and includes both starred and unstarred questions addressed to ministers. The status of responses is also mentioned in the document available on the official website of the National Assembly of Pakistan. The addressed rate is calculated as the number of questions formally answered divided by the number submitted. The GRS is the female MNAs’ addressed rate divided by the male MNAs’ addressed rate. Data covers all sittings from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026.
Why this matters in parliamentary terms
Parliamentary questions are the House’s most high-volume, procedurally standardised accountability mechanism. They are allocated in advance, processed through a fixed roster system, and governed by rules that apply uniformly to all members. The finding that GRS is 1.0 for questions — while it falls to 0.1 for motions for public discussion and 0.2 for rule-amendment proposals — is analytically important. It indicates that gender disparity in institutional treatment is not uniformly distributed across all parliamentary functions. Where procedures are structured and rule-governed, female MNAs receive equal treatment. Where discretion is greater — such as in setting the floor agenda for public discussion debates the data show differential treatment. The disparity is not random. It follows the gradient of institutional discretion.
Source: FAFEN Women Parliamentarians Performance Report 2025–2026, Table 8. Data period: 1 March 2025 – 28 February 2026.
