KARACHI:
It is true that Pakistani women do not have the same chances as men in all walks of life. A holistic overview of the social, political and economic spheres validates this argument. Despite the fact that women constitute 49 per cent of the total population, they are rarely accorded equal rights in the country. They continue to be treated as second-class and inferior citizens.
In the social sphere, men often treat women as their subordinates. Women barely possess agency over matters related to health and education. A male head of the family decides what she eats, where she goes, and what attire she wears. When it comes to accessing health services, women are often told not to disclose their health complexities. They endure pain, also known as the gender pain gap, silently. The plight of women in education is also appalling. In rural areas, parents consider financial outcomes while investing in the education of their children. For them, educating a male child will yield financial dividends. Due to this patriarchal mindset, almost 60 per cent of the total out-of-school children are girls.
The status of women in the political landscape is also worrisome. Owing to dogmatic norms and values, women are often not allowed to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Even a majority of Pakistani women do not consider female candidates worthy of leadership roles. Myopic stereotypes, such as "women cannot become good leaders", prevail in the society. Male-dominated political parties barely support female candidates or women parliamentarians. It is for this reason that the country has consistently underperformed on the Global Gender Gap Index in recent years.
The economic domain is also deeply gendered. According to ILO, women constitute merely 22.2 per cent of the labour force in Pakistan. A majority of them are home-based workers (HBW). Those who work in formal sectors, such as large firms, industries, media houses and local companies remain poorly paid. There is a wide gender wage gap in such sectors. Similarly, working women constantly live in fear of abuse and harassment in the workplace.
Given the sorry state of gender inequality in Pakistan, there is an urgent need for vibrant and inclusive measures to ensure gender parity. Cogent steps must be taken to eliminate all kinds of discrimination, such as sexual harassment, wage disparity and glass ceiling, from the workplace. Only by collective actions and willpower, women in Pakistan will be accorded respect, dignity and honor that they deserve.
Junaid Ahmed Burdi
Hyderabad
