Pakistan is ranked 145th out of 146 countries in the global list of gender equality. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) data, only Sudan is below Pakistan in this list which is a measurement of empowerment of women in a country. Participation in paid labour work is the most important and universally accepted variable to measure this.
In its Gender Gap Report, the forum has noted the wage and opportunity gap between men and women in Pakistan. According to this report, Pakistani women are paid 18 per cent less than their male counterparts. Translated into wages, this means that if a man gets Rs1,000 for a job, women are paid only Rs 818 for holding an analogous position and that discrimination is blatant and all pervading.
The Gender Gap Report says that the rate of participation of women in gainful economic activities in Pakistan is only around one-third their total number (around 36 per cent). Pakistani women’s participation in the labour force is also very low, as only 23 per cent women are part of paid workforce. More than 40 million women are out of labour force, this report adds.
All over Pakistan, women also have a very low share of professional jobs as compared to men. At the mid-level managerial level, there are 2.33 per cent men and only 0.14 per cent women, a report in News International said on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
Sixty-eight per cent of employed women in Pakistan are associated with agricultural sector. Seventy-six per cent are engaged in unpaid family support. This rate is 24 per cent for men.
The reason for Pakistan faring very low on gender sensitivities is clearly reflected in the attitude of the government towards “Aurat March’’ some women had planned for March 8. The women had organised this march since 2018 and on this occasion, lectures on empowerment of women are organised at select places. However, the Federal government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif actually put impediments in the way of Aurat March planned in Islamabad for March 9.
The lame excuse given for denying the permission was that it was the holy month of Ramzan! Those associated with organising the march said they had applied for permission to take out the rally some months ago. Till today, the permission was officially neither granted nor denied.
On March 7, organisers of Aurat March, which has emerged as an iconic parade by Pakistani women from different sections of society, had criticised the denial of permission for peaceful assembly. They had also expressed their dismay at the denial of No Objection Certificate for their parades for last five years since 2020.
At a press conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad, several social activists outlined a set of demands for the government relating to human rights, social justice and environment. Significantly, the women also demanded zero tolerance towards gender-based violence and declare it as a national emergency.
They stressed the need for taking particular care to curb, in fact eradicate violence against the members of the religious minorities. The women lamented that the Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Ahmadis were targeted for their religious faith and the government turns a blind eye to their sufferings.
The organisers also demanded that the strict blasphemy laws of Pakistan should be amended as these are wantonly used against the Shias, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and Ahmadis. These blasphemy laws are misused to deny economic and political rights to these communities by falsely implicating them in fake cases.
On March 8, the Aurat March in Islamabad concluded in the afternoon after police stopped marchers from proceeding towards D-Chowk. Since its inception in 2018, the Aurat March has been held annually nationwide on or around International Women’s Day, symbolising a collective feminist tradition of protest and resistance.
