Women’s economic participation, empowerment report launched
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ISLAMABAD: (APP) Women’s economic participation, empowerment report launched
A status report on women's economic participation and empowerment in Pakistan was launched here on Wednesday.
The `Women's Economic Participation and Empowerment – Status Report 2016' was launched at an event jointly organized by the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), said a press release.
The report mentioned the complex and multi-faceted concept of women's economic empowerment, using various sources like national survey data, qualitative studies, status of Pakistani women to different dimensions, employment statistics and vulnerability in employment, gender wage differences and poverty.
The report also contained the economic situation of women affected by different crisis and emergencies over the past decade.
The report, produced in collaboration with the governments of Norway and Denmark, the UN Women and NCSW, covered social and economic vulnerabilities that keep the Pakistani woman underpaid and overworked.
It highlighted specific aspects of women's economic empowerment (such as employment, type of employment and wages, vulnerable work and the working poor), and recommended a concerted effort to improve women's access, opportunities and capabilities enabling them to participate as full economic actors in development and growth of a dynamic Pakistan as per the Vision 2025.
Country Representative of UN Women Pakistan Jamshed Kazi in his welcome address said "This comprehensive report captures different facets of women's economic empowerment from the relations between malnutrition and lesser opportunities in the workforce to the extra burden of humanitarian crisis on women."
He said it was imperative to position ensure gender responsive infrastructure such as day-care centers, anti-sexual harassment mechanisms, safe and affordable transport and accommodation options to encourage economically inactive women to join the formal workforce.
He said providing equal opportunities for better quality education was also critical for women and girls to improve their employment options.
Charg‚ d'Affaires Embassy of Denmark Helle Nielsen said investing in girls and women was the most effective investment in development.
She said "women spend 90 percent of their salary on their children and the health, education and well-being of their family, while men only spend 30 to 40 percent."
She also underlined the need to remove the barriers preventing women from entering the labour market, which could help increase a country's productivity.
"Investing in women's participation in economic activities is a direct way to gender equality, poverty reduction and economic growth, but in order to experience progress, we need to give girls and women the equal opportunities to which they are entitled," she said
Nielsen shared that Denmark was proud to be hosting the world's largest global conference on women and girls rights, `Women Deliver', which was currently taking place in Copenhagen.
Director Center of Gender and Policy Studies Dr Yasmin Zaidi, who authored the report, said "Women's economic work, paid and unpaid, needs to be recognized, acknowledged and tracked at district and provincial levels in Pakistan.
During a panel discussion, panelist and former Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women Khawar Mumtaz said that authentic official data and its analysis were imperative to establish the reality on the ground for giving direction for appropriate policies and action.
She said the report's significance was the multidimensional approach to the analysis of women's economic empowerment especially employment.
This publication also deserved special appreciation for developing the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Index for the first time in Pakistan, she said adding, "the Index will help in ranking the WEE status by districts and provide a mechanism to measure progress and pinpoint areas that require more concerted attention."
Panelist Captain National Women's Basketball Team Sana Mahmud said "The wage gap for men and women remains high, even within the realm of sport."
Chairperson Punjab Commission on the Status of Women Fauzia Viqar, who was the chief guest, congratulated NCSW and UN Women for producing an informative report. "This data would surely help us in correct decision making," she added.
The government's 'Vision 2025' recognizes expanding women's participation and access to opportunities as central to sustained economic and social development, which is in line with the article 38 of the Constitution of Pakistan that guarantees citizens the right to pursue economic opportunities irrespective of sex, caste or creed and related labour laws, the press release said.
