‘Home-based women workers more in number, yet paid less’

The Pakistan Women's Foundation for Peace has lamented discrimination against women in Pakistan, stating that "Though women are in high numbers as home-based workers and in the agriculture sector, their skill sets, market knowledge, and earnings remain low."

In a statement issued on Tuesday in relevance to the International Women's Day on March 8, the foundation pointed out that in the formal sector, the women workforce in Pakistan was one of the lowest in the world, at 22 percent, with just five percent women working on managerial posts and one percent engaged in entrepreneurial activities.

"Despite ventures like the Benazir Income Support Programme and Ehsaas Programme… can we really hope that women can enter the mainstream workforce at the national level?" the statement read. "Most of them are not registered with the Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution or have social security."

Focusing on 'Measures to Ensure Gender Equity in Pakistan', the foundation underscored the need for gender equity.

"Our struggle is not gender-based, our struggle is not against men. It is against oppression, injustice, the denial of human rights…and denying the masses their constitutional rights," read the statement.

It called for justice for all irrespective of gender, faith, and sect or class, a fair justice system, economic justice, facilitation of women in school enrollment, protection against harassment, and protection against exploitation at the workplace, among other demands.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2021.