Worth Asking: Gender, Politics, and South Asia

In this final episode of Season 1, we reflect upon what women political leaders in South Asia have told us about their career journeys with our guests. We delve into bringing role models closer to youth, especially young women aspiring to be in politics. Our Guests: Srividya is an educationist and businesswoman based in Hyderabad, India. She runs educational institutions committed to empowering yo...

Dr. Anara Naeem is a Member of Parliament from Maldives, representing Huraa constituency. She is a prominent Islamic scholar, author and a lawyer. She served as an MP earlier, from 2014 to 2019 and represented Makunudhoo constituency. Dr. Naeem has recently been elected as the Vice-Chairperson of the Judiciary Committee of the Parliament. She is also a part of the Committee on Human Rights and Gen...

Jothimani is a Member of Parliament, representing Karur constituency in Tamil Nadu, India. She has been involved with the Indian National Congress party for the past two decades. She entered politics at the age of 22 and has served in the local governance for a decade before moving to the state and national politics. She has also held several party positions ranging from Indian Youth Congress Gene...

Dorji Wangmo is a Member of the National Assembly of Bhutan. She represents the Bhutan Tendrel Party from Kengkhar_Weringla constituency in Monggar. Before joining politics, she served for nearly 22 years in Natural Resources Development Corporation Limited, Bhutan in various capacities. Worth Asking podcast tackles gender equality with a focus on women in politics. We'll mix insightful interviews...

Nafisa Shah is a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. After completing her undergraduate studies, she worked as a journalist, and her reporting on environmental problems, development and gender issues won her acclaim at home and abroad. She is an alumnus of the University of Oxford. She started her political journey from Khairpur’s local body elections. Dr. Shah was nominated for a collect...

Dr Manisha Chakraborty is a Central Committee Member at the Socialist Party of Bangladesh. She is the first woman mayoral candidate in the history of Barisal City Corporation polls. She pursued medicine and also received an appointment letter for the post of a medical assistant officer. But she found her calling in politics and started her career in politics from the student days. Worth Asking pod...

Sneha Padayan is a Member of the Trithala Block Panchayat in Kerala, India. She was elected at just the age of 22 as a candidate of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), while she is still pursuing her studies. Her work focuses on implementing and formulating policies that deal with the basic necessities of people like water, roads, and shelter. Worth Asking podcast tackles gender equality with...

Sobita Gautam is the youngest elected Member of Parliament in Nepal, representing Kathmandu-2 constituency. She is a member of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2022. Before entering politics, Sobita had a diverse background. She was a youth activist and served as a registered lawyer. She also worked in media and hosted the television show Swasthya Sar...

Dr. Fauzia Khan is a Member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. She is also the National President of the Women's Wing of the Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar. She has been a Former Minister of State in the Government of Maharashtra, holding various portfolios like School Education, Women & Child Development, Cultural Affairs, Information & Public...

⁠Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle is a Member of Parliament from Sri Lanka. Before entering politics, she had an elaborate career as a Medical Doctor attached to the Ministry of Health. She was elected to the Parliament in 2010 and has served as an MP since then. She leads Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus in the Parliament. She has chaired several committees as an MP and has also served as a Minister.⁠...