The poverty trap

We need to recognise that the continued deprivation of women would be a disaster for our nation.

Poverty, and all that comes with it, is perhaps the biggest issue our country faces. It is also a fact that women suffer worst as a result of deprivation, standing last in the line within families to receive education, medical care — and food. The disparity in the division of resources on the basis of gender has been pointed out in numerous reports, coming in from local and international groups.

Given the lack of attention the issue has received at home, it is good to see parliamentarians showing some degree of interest in the matter. Awareness raised within the assemblies could help matters, by bringing key issues to the top of the priority list. At a discussion and lobbying session on ‘gender-responsive budgeting (GRB)’ mechanisms in Pakistan organised recently by Human Capital Management Institute (HCMI) and Noor Pakistan in collaboration with Evidence and Learning Based Learning Alliance (ELLA) to create awareness about gender gap challenges, parliamentarians from four major political parties said that women and girls in rural areas lagged far behind men in terms of human development and gender empowerment.

MNAs from the PPP and the PTI both emphasised the need to educate men about the problem and sensitise them to the matters involved. This, of course, is important, but what is also crucial is that we take a look into the future, and recognise that the continued deprivation of women would be a disaster for our nation. The need is to begin a process of change now. This can happen only by giving women a higher status in society — notably in districts where they face the worst discrimination. The disparity in this respect is also very marked. If the resource gap for women is to be narrowed, they need to be given greater powers and a say in decision-making. There are many factors that hold this back. We must hope more such initiatives on the line of the present one can be taken to alter the situation we face today and grant women a more equitable role in society. They deserve this.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2014.

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