FACTORS INFLUENCING POLITICAL ORIENTATION: MEDIATING ROLE OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

This study aims to investigate the factors influencing political orientation of rural women of Pakistan. The focus of the study is to check the effect of internal motivation, political family support and awareness level on political orientation. The mediating effect of woment empowerment has been exmined. PLS-SEM was used for data analysis and evaluating the mediating effect. Respondents were woking females and graduate and post graduate students in Higher Education Institutions. Questionnaire was distributed using social media platforms. Out of 500 responses, 460 responses were considered valid and used for analysis. A special consideration has been taken that the respondents must be females from rural areas of Pakistan so that in future, another comparative study will be conducted based on demographic differences. Findingsshows the positive and significant relation of internal motivation and awareness level with political orientation where is political family support has negative but significant relation with political environment. Woment empowerment positively mediates the relationship between internal motivation, awareness level and political orientation.