Understanding the State of Gender (Dis) Parity in Pakistan

Highlights

• The current rate of achieving gender parity is such that full parity remains unattainable for another five generations.
• In Pakistan, gender-based discrimination stems from deeply entrenched patriarchal norms and practices, resulting in biased attitudes. Moreover, numerous structural and socio-cultural barriers continue to limit women empowerment.
• Addressing gender inequality requires comprehensive policy interventions across multiple fronts— economic empowerment, education, health, and political representation— to effectively unlock women's productivity, and not in isolation.

Gender inequality is a reality in many developing countries, more so than it is usually acknowledged by various observers and scholars. This is despite the fact that ‘gender parity’ is the cornerstone of true progress and development of any nation. ‘Gender Parity’ aims to achieve equal representation of genders across all levels in a given area. The World Economic Forum (WEF) publishes the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) annually, which examines the path taken towards gender parity across countries. Saadia Zahidi, the Managing Director at the WEF, highlights, in the latest Global Gender Gap report, that the advancement towards gender parity is progressing slowly worldwide. She emphasises that given the current slow rate of progress in this area, achieving full gender parity would remain unattainable for another five generations.¹

The GGGI evaluates the current status and progress of gender parity across four key parameters: (i) Economic Participation and Opportunity; (ii) Educational Attainment; (iii) Health and Survival; and (iv) Political Empowerment. The fundamental aim of the report is to track progress on relative gaps between men and women on the above-mentioned parameters. The GGGI measures scores on a 0 to 100 scale and the bigger the score, greater the distance covered towards parity.

In 2024, the global gender gap score for a total of 146 countries evaluated in this edition, stands at 68.5 percent.² Compared to the constant sample of 143 countries from last year’s edition, the global gender gap has improved by an additional 0.1 percentage point, rising from 68.5 percent to 68.6 percent. Among the 146 economies, the Health and Survival gender gap is closed by 96 percent, the Educational Attainment gap by 94.9 percent, the Economic Participation and Opportunity gap by 60.5percent, and the Political Empowerment gap by 22.5 percent.³ At the global level, Iceland tops the index with a 93.5 percent closure, while European nations like Finland, Norway, and Sweden are among the top 10.

The commentary here seeks to analyse the gender inequality situation in Pakistan in light of the latest GGGI evaluation report in 2024. According to the Report, Pakistan ranks 145 out of 146 countries, with a score of 0.570, leaving only Sudan behind. Compared to 2023, Pakistan has slipped back by three ranks and 0.53 percentage points in its overall score. This decrease is primarily attributed to grave setbacks in the ‘political empowerment’ dimension, although it has been slightly mitigated by a modest improvement in ‘educational attainment’.

The Status of Women in Pakistan 

In Pakistan, gender-based discrimination stems from deeply entrenched patriarchal norms and practices. The predominantly patriarchal society in Pakistan has raised structural and socio-cultural barriers that limit women’s advancement in the society.  Moreover, negative gender stereotypes continue to perpetuate discrimination and violence against women and girls across all areas of life in the country.

Economic Participation and Opportunity: 

Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world, with a population of 235.82 million in 2022. Out of which, 49.6 per cent are female and 50.4 per cent are male. According to World Bank report, Pakistan’s economy grew by 1.8 percent in the FY 2023-24 after it was on the verge of economic collapse in 2022.⁴ The growth was largely driven by strong agricultural output and improved performance in the services sector. The GGGI places Pakistan at 143 out of 146 countries, in this parameter.

The women labour force participation rate (LFPR) in the country has improved over the years, albeit very slowly. This growth has been more pronounced in the informal sector, while the formal sector has seen little change over the past decade. In 2023, only 24 percent of Pakistan's female workforce was active, compared to the global average of 49 percent.⁵ In contrast, 80.7 percent of male population have been active in the labour force.

In 2023, National Report on the Status of Women in Pakistan curated by UN Women and National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) noted that there are also provincial variations in the LFPR. As reported, the highest participation of women was recorded in Punjab (31 percent) and the lowest in Balochistan (14 percent).⁶ This low rate across various indices impedes the country's economic development and social welfare, necessitating an urgent reassessment of policies and programmes related to women's empowerment.

Educational Attainment: 

Educating every citizen aids a country's growth by enhancing workforce skills and fostering innovation and technological advancements. Beyond the economic benefits, education also reduces poverty and promotes social cohesion and the stability of familial institutions. But Pakistan seems to have turned a blind eye to this which is visible in its ranking of 139 out of 146 countries in the GGGI report.

In the recent 2024-25 budget, the federal government allocated only PKR 215 billion, equivalent to 1.91 percent of GDP, for education. This amount is insufficient to address the challenges of over 26 million out-of-school children, a significant gender gap, issues of quality education in public sector schools, and poor infrastructure.⁷ Notably, 53 percent  of females aged 15-64 have never attended school, compared to 33 percent of males in the same age group. Regarding higher secondary education, only 14 percent of adult women and 18 percent of adult men aged 18 and above have completed Grade 12 or beyond in Pakistan.⁸ A significant gender disparity exists in labour market participation too: among those with Grade 12 or higher education, only 30 percent of women are in the labour force, compared to 83 percent of men. The Economic Survey of Pakistan for 2022 states that in 2020-21, the literacy rate was 62.8 percent, higher in males (73.4 percent) than females (51.9 percent).⁹ As  educational attainment is crucial for all, women's underperformance in this index also partly explains their low participation rate in the economy of Pakistan..

Health and Survival: 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely absence of disease.” The government of Pakistan recognises the basic right to health and well-being for all, articulated in key development policies, including Vision 2025 and the National Health Vision 2016-2025. However, the country's female population is at a significantly higher risk of experiencing maternal health issues due to inadequate health-seeking behavior during pregnancy. In 2020, Pakistan's maternal mortality rate was reported at 154 deaths per 100,000 live births, in stark contrast to Sri Lanka's rate of only 29 deaths during the same period.¹⁰ The Express Tribune of Pakistan reported that in 2022, 63,367 cases of gender-based crimes were recorded, including the killings of 3,987 women and over 10,500 instances of sexual violence against women. Moreover, nearly 32 percent of women have experienced physical violence, and a staggering 40 percent of married women endure spousal abuse. These incidents have detrimental effects not only on women but also on the socio-economic fabric of the country and can lead to severe health issues.¹¹

Political Empowerment:

Needless to say, women's participation in politics ensures gender-sensitive governance. Despite advancements in global women's political representation, a significant disparity persists in Pakistan, with more than three-quarters of parliamentary seats still held by men. On the political empowerment front, Pakistan ranks 112 out of 146 countries. Women in political sphere often rely on male counterparts, forming patron-client networks that reduce their agency and power. Those in reserved seats are often perceived as lacking a constituency, thus not true representatives of their communities.

The political leadership has taken nominal remedial measures and implemented reforms under the Elections Act of 2017 to enhance women's participation, including mandating political parties to nominate a minimum of five percent women candidates and invalidating election results in constituencies with less than 10 percent women's voter turnout.¹² According to a voter turnout report by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen), women's voter turnout in the recent general election was 43 percent, compared to 52 percent for men. Major political parties nominated 280 women candidates (4.64 percent of the total 6,037 candidates), while 614 women ran independently.¹³  However, only 27 women could finally secure seats in the national and provincial assemblies. Nevertheless, low literacy levels, patriarchal mindsets, financial constraints, lack of opportunities, violence and harassment, and disproportionate family responsibilities are hindering their representation in the political sphere. Achieving gender equality and women's empowerment is critical for the country's evolution as a resilient democracy.

Why is it so and what needs to be done?

Despite constitutional guarantees of gender equality, such as Articles 25(2), 26, and 27, and the Vision 2025 plan, which aim at mainstreaming gender equality, Pakistan faces continuing challenges in its efforts to protect women's rights. The country has pledged to honour numerous international commitments, and it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and seven other international human rights treaties. The National Gender Policy Framework (2022) is also committed to enacting pro-women laws and policy reforms. The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), established in 2000 and expanded in 2012, oversees law enforcement, promotes women's social and economic inclusion, and helps the government meet international obligations.¹⁴ While significant measures have been taken, considerable efforts are still needed for women to achieve full and active citizenship.

Unfortunately, in spite of efforts at the global or national levels, achieving dignified life for women has fallen short of its potential in Pakistan. To enhance women's economic empowerment in Pakistan, the government should regularise the informal economy, particularly in rural areas, and promote women-specific opportunities in value-added fields such as in service sector. Encouraging entrepreneurship among educated women and facilitating their participation in e-commerce through market access, special zones, soft loans, and technical education, especially in IT, is pivotal for the betterment of half of the population and for a steady economic growth. For addressing educational disparities requires building new schools, training teachers, and providing local schools for girls to reduce dropout rates, given that 60 percent of the 22.8 million out-of-school children are female. Improving maternal health necessitates targeted awareness campaigns by Health Workers and providing village-level health services, as the government's health card scheme may not adequately address mobility issues.

Conclusion 

While Pakistan lags behind many other countries in the race for gender equality, there is a constant focus on improving the lot for the women across the world and gender inequality is pervasive and it is a global issue. The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in 1996 provided an analytical framework for the development of gender-aware policies to improve women's health in general around the world.¹⁵ However, this framework can also be applied to enhance the overall status of women in Pakistan. The IDS recommendations emphasise that the four institutions of power― family, community, healthcare systems, and the state― play a critical role in determining the status of women in every society. Family traditions and customs, which govern the lives of all individuals, disproportionately affect women’s progress and hinder their economic empowerment. Community-related factors, including inadequate social support networks, religious barriers, and restrictions on women’s mobility, obstruct their educational attainment and empowerment. The healthcare system significantly influences women's health through the limited availability and poor quality of healthcare services.

In case of Pakistan, the state's conspicuous lack of responsiveness to women's development is evident in the inadequate provision of female healthcare providers in primary healthcare facilities and insufficient allocation of resources for girls’ education. Addressing gender inequality also requires comprehensive policy interventions across multiple fronts—economic empowerment, education, health, and political representation— to effectively unlock women's productivity. However, the state and society of Pakistan, while paying lip service to women’s rights and demonstrating their commitment to work towards creating a favourable ecosystem for enabling and empowering women, continue to get caught up in conservative religious and social ethos that reinforce negative stereotypes about women and account for the poor GGGI score that has pushed Pakistan downward to find a place at the bottom of the table. By enabling the Taliban next door, the Pakistani power elites have indirectly supported orthodox forces in the region, known for their regressive interpretation of Islamic texts, unwilling to concede women their rightful place in society. It is but natural that the winds of social conservatism that disfavours the very idea of gender parity blowing from Afghanistan would embolden orthodox constituencies in Pakistan now seeking to bring Taliban like Islamic rule in Pakistan, impervious to arguments of gender equality. The women of Pakistan have a long way to go.

*Sneha M is a Research Analyst at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. The views expressed are her own.

Endnotes