The Impact of Weaponizing Womens Political Rights on Democratic Bscksliding: A Case Study of Sheikha Hasina (PM of Bangladesh)

Abstract

This paper examines how authoritarian leaders can strategically weaponise womens political rights to keep power and conceal democratic backsliding, using Prime Minister Sheikha Hasinas administration in Bangladesh as an example.  Using the historical institutionalism framework, the paper investigates how Hasinas government fostered gender-based legislation and representation while eroding democratic institutions.  Through a qualitative analysis of legislation amendments, political discourse, and institutional changes from 2019 to 2024, the study demonstrates how symbolic empowerment of women was used to legitimise a more autocratic state.  The findings show that perceived gender progress was frequently utilised to cover up both internal and foreign criticism, implying that gender reforms under hybrid regimes can disguise rather than reflect actual democratic development.