Articles by Sohela Nazneen

March 7, 2024

🌈 De-democratisation in South Asia weakens gender equality

Sohela Nazneen

This year, millions of people in South Asia head to the polls. Potential outcomes of elections in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, however, do not bode well for women’s rights or gender equality, says Sohela Nazneen. The road ahead is difficult for women’s and LGBTQ+ struggles, as autocratic leaders consolidate power, and right-wing populists, digital repression, and violence against women and sexual minorities are all on the rise

Sohela Nazneen

Senior Fellow, Governance Cluster, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex

Sohela leads IDS' work on gender, politics and governance.

Her research focuses on feminist movement and backlash, gendered policy processes, violence against women and women’s empowerment in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

She has published widely on these issues, in journals including World Development, Development Policy Review, Contemporary South Asia, and Studies in Family Planning.

Sohela currently leads the stream on voice and activism against backlash for the Countering Backlash research consortium.

She convened IDS’ flagship MA on gender and Development.

Negotiating Gender Equity in the Global South
Routledge, 2019

Voicing Demands: Feminist Activism in Transitional Contexts
Zed Books, 2014

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