Pakistan is most vulnerable country for

women to survive | By Dr Sami Ullah

By News desk - August 24, 2022

PAKISTAN IS MOST VULNERABLE COUNTRY FOR

WOMEN TO SURVIVE 

PAKISTANI women are at the highest level of social, political and economic risk. As per Global Gender Gap
Report 2022, Pakistan is ranked on 145 out 146 countries which indicates the high-level of risk for women to
survive for basic human rights.

Alarmingly, Congo, Nigeria and Niger are providing more equal opportunities based on gender, as compared
with Pakistan.

Even the digits of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) are not very satisfactory, only 22 percent women are
participating in labour force, out of which 13 percent are engaged in traditional agriculture sector.

There is insignificant participation of women in all the sectors of Pakistan economy, except agriculture.
On the other hand, 71 percent women are participating in vulnerable employment, majority is in informal
sector and considered as unpaid family workers. 

Globally, a consensus has developed that no country can prosper until they provide equal opportunities for
both genders in all the aspects of life.

Even G-7 countries announced that they can only sustain their economies by enhancing women economic
empowerment up to 20 percent from the current level.

Women empowerment is the only solution of economic and societal deterioration because when women is
socially and economically empowered, her priority is to invest in the health, education and quality of life for
the households.

Whereas, the priority of male is to invest, save and spend on non-developmental aspects. There is research
evidence available and indicates that economic empowerment of women lead the society toward sustainable
living.

The priority of female is to invest in the child development and quality of life indicators.

Whereas, male economic empowerment leads toward high consumption, investment, savings and other non-
human development charms of life by ignoring the prosperity.

Globally, only those countries get prosperity where they have equal opportunities for both males and females.

There is dire need to take some state level initiatives for enhancing the women empowerment at all levels.

In Pakistan, the GNI per capita (purchasing power parity) for female is only US$ 1450, whereas it is US$
8100 for male as per United Nations report on human development.

There is also very alarming situation regarding educated females, PBS data shows that as the female
university graduates are increasing, there is decline in female labour force participation for the last many
years.

Secondly, the women participation rate is higher in rural areas, as compared with urban areas, opposing the
theory.
By disaggregating these statistics, the number of female labor force participation is increasing for very low
and very high income groups, whereas this number is decreasing for middle income groups, the major 
diaspora of our population.

Low income groups are prioritizing for their food and basic needs, the high income groups have no concern
with the thought of others, they can manage everything as per their routine.

The hidden momentum in this discrimination is observed in the middle income groups, they are dominated
and can easily be determined by culture, society, male dominance and other social norms.

Globally, they have very concrete policy decisions for enhancing the supply of labour by lowering the
incentives in terms of social security and intrinsic benefits.

Pakistan has missed the targeted initiatives for their economic participation and facing the cost in terms of
volatility in GDP.

The main reason behind this uncertainty is that no policy is based on evidence generated from systematic
research.

We have designed planet of quality research in almost all the sectors but locked it in the files and libraries.

If we use our research based evidence in future decision making, no one can stop us from achieving peace,
prosperity and empowerment.

It is very important to share here that our women have the potential to contribute in growth, development,
society and wellbeing.

But they require only safety and security in home by educating their male counterpart, providing inclusive
work environment, changing the rigid and outdated social norms and provision of security by launching some
sort of market oriented workable decisions.

This is the appropriate time to rethink on the public policy for the deprived sector of women empowerment
and take some initiatives for enhancing their empowerment for the sustainability and inclusive development.

Currently, the globe is targeting to achieve sustainable development goals for their survival and developing
regions can achieve the targets only by creating inclusive policies and working environment for attraction of
women to happily participate in the developmental targets of sustainability.
Pakistan has the potential to compete globally by activating the second half of deprived portion based on
gender.


State can introduce some attractive packages for women empowerment by minimizing their vulnerable
employment, even by expanding the formal portion of the economy.

The State should have to rethink on this issue and if they are successful in developing the coping strategy, this
will enhance labour force, human development, economic growth, sustainability and rural development.

This is very easy channel to take-off the economy toward development by providing only inclusive working
culture and reap the fruits of economic and societal prosperity for the generations to come.

—The writer is Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Gujrat.

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