Exploring the Masquerade of Equality: A Preliminary Study of Pink Politics in Maldives

Abstract

The female voice in Maldives politics is devolving into a feeble mumble. A seemingly progressive society shows their implicit disdain for the female voice in politics with their votes. Despite years of observations by national or international organisations, a satisfactory answer why this remains recurrent is yet to be discovered. A democracy survey by Transparency Maldives indicates that the public seems to be aware of the falling numbers of Maldivian women elected in politics and have a variety of their own opinions regarding its causes. Exploring this subject is a measure to find out the in-depth reasons why the Maldivian society is indirectly rejecting women in politics. Hence, this study sought out responses that go beyond the surface to find clarity on what needs to change according to the voters themselves in the light of examining even one possibility that would make society more accepting and prepared to elect female politicians. To uncover the truth, this study utilised a focused ethnography approach using a social constructivist paradigm to study the narratives of a selected group of women over a period to ascertain why there is a deceptive treatment of equality when it comes to women and how this pretence impacts women’s role in society.