Daily Times

An info graphic by the UN Women on UN Public service Day joyously announced that the number of women at the civil service academy, Pakistan has increased from 10 percent in 1984 to 40 percent in 2017. This certainly is a cause of festivities, however the celebration is short lived. Today, women of Pakistan have opportunities to enter the Central Superior Services (CSS) but after a while they encounter dilemma of ‘law of increasing disproportions’ i.e. the higher the hierarchy, the lesser the women.

Pakistan’s civil service has come a long way from women being inducted into just four services namely (a) audit and accounts service, (b) railway accounts service, (c) military accounts service, (d) income tax and postal services to being part of all the civil service groups. A condition limiting women entry in CSS also prevailed till 1973, which mandated women to voluntarily resign from civil service upon marriage or remarriage. Hence Pakistani government was of the opinion that governance skills of women somehow diminish once they enter the matrimonial bond.

Opportunities for women civil service aspirants changed at least theoretically after 1973, when constitution of Pakistan enabled the women to enter the civil service under clause of equal opportunity for all in services (Article 27) with government encouraged to take any affirmative action to increase women participation in civil service (Article 34). This opened the avenues of coveted Pakistan Administrative Service (previously District Management Group) and Police service of Pakistan for women. Consequently, after 33 years, in 2006, women were granted 10 percent reserve seat quota in the civil service to enhance the women representation in Central Superior Services of Pakistan.

Pakistan Public Administration Research Centre (PPARC)’ s last published report ‘Overview of the Public sector employment during 2013-14’ indicates that the major bulk of women in public sector remains concentrated below BPS 17 mostly comprising female teachers and nurses, the culturally favourable professions for women in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s civil service is still male coded. The bulk of women civil servants are concentrated in the lower and middle echelons of service structure. Whereas the number of women transitioning to the top tier of decision-making is markedly low

Another research by planning commission (based on data from 16 federal ministries) emphasised that none of the federal miniseries are setting aside 10 percent of its positions for women as required under the constitution.

What we see in Pakistan‘s civil service today is improved descriptive representation but weak substantive representation of women. Substantive representation requiring policy and societal change is just like justice, it must not only be done but seen to be done. Whereas descriptive representation of women is change in numerical representation of women and does not necessarily translate improved numbers for women into enhanced outcomes for women. In state feminism and political representation, Political scientist, Joni Lovenduski says that “descriptive representation is only one of the ways of increasing substantive representation of women. Gender debates and strong culture of feminine debates is more important in ensuring that women interests are watched rather than merely increasing the number of women in politics and public service.”

Pakistan‘s civil service is still male coded. The bulk of women civil servants are concentrated in the lower and middle echelons of service structure. Whereas the number of women transitioning to the top tier of decision making is markedly low. It is mostly concentrated in the areas that are considered traditionally women oriented areas or are less attractive to male civil servants in their career plans. Women get leadership roles in situations or organisations not considered lucrative career postings for males. This is another story that given the space, women are usually found to turn around the neglected departments.

Despite the apparent availability of diverse policy and implementation mechanisms for strengthening governance for women, the failure of descriptive representation conversion into substantive representation persist. One of the foremost reasons for this failure is non-recognition of gender equality as a political project. Institutionalised gender units, women quotas in civil service are descriptive representation mechanisms that offer easy institutional respite to government pressured to introduce gender equality. Yet, without the accompanying political will to transform descriptive measures into substantive outcomes, these popular actions result into technocratic fixes increasing number of women in the civil service without empowering them.

Civil service reform in service of a transformative agenda requires a political context
supportive of women’s empowerment. Its prerequisite is a responsive state in service to its citizens both men and women. Merely descriptive representation of women in the bureaucracy cannot transform governance.

Long term strategies to enhance substantive representation of women need profound changes in the patriarchal structure of both Pakistan’s society and civil service. As short term strategies, substantive women representation at decision making tiers of the civil service can be obtained through altering career requirements that discriminate against women, using affirmative action plans to advance women into key positions , introduction of equal opportunity structures in civil service (eg, anti-discrimination bureaus, merit protection agencies, equal opportunity commissions) as well as passing anti — discrimination laws that punish violations with effective sanctions.

The writer is a policy practitioner, an Oxford public policy alumnus and Oxford Global leadership initiative fellow

Published in Daily Times, August 17^th 2017.