What women need…By Beenish Fatima
Every year, countless women in Pakistan break glass ceilings and make a name for themselves, both personally and professionally, all while seamlessly juggling their careers and domestic responsibilities.
According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2023-24, the highest number of unemployed people in the country fall under the age group of 15 to 24 years of age and the second highest age group of unemployed people is between the age of 25-34 years. In these brackets, the male unemployment rate stands at 10 per cent and 5.4 per cent – but in stark contrast, the female unemployment rate stands at 14 per cent and 13.3 per cent respectively.
These mere statistics show the grim state of affairs. Not only do these statistics show the inability of women to find work but they also show the hidden labour that women have been doing since time immemorial that is never counted as actual economic output. For instance, according to the same Economic Survey, the rural labour force stands at 48.5 million while the urban labour force stands at 23.2 million.
A visit to any part of the Pakistani countryside reveals women deeply immersed in manual labour, working in fields from planting to harvesting and tending to livestock from dawn till dusk. Despite their enormous contributions, their labour is never translated into monetary value. Alongside this, rural women walk miles every day to fetch water for their families, cut and carry fodder for animals, cook and clean, and even take the lead in maintaining mud and clay houses entirely on their own.
Without the daily work these women perform, agricultural output would decline significantly, if not become entirely unsustainable. The key point here is that, although these women are not accounted for in surveys, they are the ones bearing the costs of being unpaid. Their labour remains invisible in economic terms, perpetuating a vicious cycle of exploitation.
This vicious cycle does not end in the farmlands. It replicates everywhere. Women are paid less than men in the informal sectors as well. In mass production, informal and sub-urban factories, women are paid less for the same number of hours worked. In small private schools, female teachers are earning less than their male colleagues. In domestic help, hiring female help costs many times less even when the work done is the same.
To quote an everyday example, a male tailor will cost you more for the same services than a woman doing the same work from her home. These small everyday examples show the terrible wage gap that exists in our society between genders. This is precisely why Pakistan ranks at 145 out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2024. The reason we can no longer ignore it is because now it is an issue that 50 per cent of our population is facing.
These inherently exploitative issues are exacerbated when environmental factors such as the absence of female-only spaces, washrooms, transport facilities, and safety concerns are taken into account. Combined, they paint a troubling picture of the overall well-being of women in our country. Financial independence and fair compensation are cornerstones that enable women to access many of the liberties we often discuss, such as the freedom to pursue education, healthcare, and even basic necessities like quality food. Financial empowerment also enhances a woman’s ability to prioritise her own safety and well-being, including the means to escape abusive and violent environments.
According to UN Women, one in three women in Pakistan face violence and one of the main reasons why women endure violent settings is because they do not have access to enough finances if they choose out. If you magnify the issue, the situation will be the same when essentials like maternal and child health are understood. The fact that women cannot choose better options is because they do not control the economic resources required and hence, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 2024, Pakistan will only be able to control preventable maternal deaths after 122 years if it continues at the given pace. While many factors contribute to this, one of the major underlying factors is the power of the purse which women rarely command.
As we step into a new year, it is crucial for policy to address the issues of unpaid labour and the wage gap. These must be recognised as key indicators driving all other metrics we aim to improve for women. Their labour and efforts should be converted into tangible monetary value, empowering them to take the lead in deciding how to spend what they earn. Even small adjustments to the existing system could significantly enhance the well-being of women and, in the broader context, positively impact our overall economy.
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