Gender inequality

BALOCHISTAN:

Living amongst men is itself a strenuous task for most Pakistani women. Women are harassed and then accused of luring their harasser, which helps harassers play the role of the victim. Honour killings have become extremely common. The problem is that most cases go unreported.

Apart from this, not many realise that women are pushed out of different professions because their male counterparts are better suited for the roles. Pakistan ranks 153 out of 156 countries in the World Economic Forum’s global gender index. Gender inequality seems to be a never-ending fight in Pakistan. Considering the fact that women make up half of the total population — about 48.8% — they deserve equal participation in different ranks and roles. Even the Father of the Nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah said, “No nation can rise to the heights of glory unless her women stand aside with her men.” However, political participation, inclusion and equal of opportunity is still a far-off thought for many women in the country.

Gender inequality is not just limited to Pakistan. Many countries around the world have yet to achieve gender parity. Globally, only 7% of women have financial services as per the World Bank Global Index Report 2017. Another report by the Global Gender Gap suggests that only six countries in the world provide rights to both men and women equally. Unfortunately, we have a long way to go before we bridge the gender gap in our country. But we must not stop working towards it.