Daily Times

Religious commandments have been interpreted differently by various sects and cultures. Broadly, the religious culture of people living in the mountains is different from the people living in the plains, the deserts and the coastal areas. Similarly, the level of women’s freedom is way different in urban and rural areas. The living style and development of women in large urban centers such as Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta is poles apart from the women living in rural and backward areas. It does not mean that the people living in the urban areas do not follow the religious commandments; it is all about cultural developments in particular contexts under varying interpretations of the socio-religious values. However, one common trend is that most religious commandments have been interpreted predominantly by the men-led coalitions in different socio-religious cultures of Pakistan. Such trends are not just confined to Muslims only, other communities such as Christians, Hindus and Sikhs also follow similar socio-religious trends in placing women at a disadvantageous position. This is not to argue that purdah is bad, it is actually the way it is imposed on women paralyzing their ability to effectively take part in the economic and business activities. Merely by changing the designs and styles of parda, several socioeconomic impediments on women can be removed.

Thirdly, the economic opportunities to women are limited to several constraints. The above mentioned social, religious and cultural disadvantages also affect women’s education and jobs prospects. Sometimes, the women feel harassed without any apparent tangible reason. The eye to eye contact between women and men is usually not comfortable making women feel harassed. The society, in general, needs to understand and acknowledge that women are an essential part of human capital and no country can actually make progress by treating them as ‘objects’. There are several professions where women’s entry is generally considered awkward, although exceptions are always there. This includes, but not limited to, taxi driving, small shops, security guards, heavy vehicle driving, armed forces, police, prisons, heavye ngineering jobs, jobs requiring night duties, public dealing assignments, merchant navy expeditions, and several other entrepreneurial businesses. This suggests that the economic opportunities to women are highly constrained in Pakistan due to unjust power exercised by the men-led coalitions opposing women’s economic independence. It is also important to underline that it is very much a power tug-of-war between the men and the women in which the men have, so far, been superior in imposing their will on women. The result is that more than half of Pakistan’s population appears to be unable to meaningfully engage in economic activities responsible for augmenting the country’s long term growth. The rate of women’s participation in politics is also directly dependent on their economic independence. It is indeed very hard or impossible for an economically dependent woman to join the expensive field of politics in Pakistan. As a consequence, women’s rate of holding managerial positions in Pakistan is very low.

Pakistan is the second, worst performing country on the gender parity front acquiring an embarrassingly low 148th position out of 149 countries. This means that Pakistan is the second last country in the world where, among other factors, women hold managerial positions reflecting torrid circumstances on the gender front

Based on the above mentioned social, cultural, religious and economic factors, it can be deduced that the root cause of women’s lesser participation at the managerial, political and entrepreneurial levels is largely a result of disingenuous power exercised by the men-led coalitions using various socio-religious tools to keep theme conomically dependent. However, a greater focus on women’s education and their job opportunities can change this trend. Fixing women’s quota in the parliament and the civil service, as well as the private sector is a good step. Following complete aberration from current practices, no educational discipline and job should be fixed for the men only providing equal opportunities to women. These interventions will not only create a culture of tolerance but also create more economic and political opportunities for women in Pakistan. In this way Pakistan’s currently dormant female population will start taking active part in economic and business activities thus doubling the rate of entrepreneurial activities and innovation. Many researchers argue that women’s power of mimicking innovation and aesthetics is better than men. If it is true, it can be extremely beneficial for the forage of innovative ideas in addition to ensuring long run sustainable economic growth in Pakistan. There is a need to carry out major surgeries at the policy level to ensure greater participation of women at the business and entrepreneurial levels. Pakistan’s media can play an effective role in creating awareness about women’s education and jobs which will eventually create more economic and political opportunities for them. Rightly directed policy interventions on the social, cultural, religious and economic fronts can boost women’s participation at the managerial, administrative and political levels. These factors will inherently create more economic opportunities for women in Pakistan empowering them both socially and culturally. Pakistan’s economy can’t just afford to feed more than a half-idlefemale population. Once this fallow segment is practically active, Pakistan will not only be able to earn a respectable ranking on the WEF’s Global Gender Gap Index but also attain a much higher economic growth rate.

The writer is Additional Commissioner, FBR, holding PhD in Economic Planning from Massey University, New Zealand. The views expressed are his own. He can be reached at babarchohan21@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, January 2^nd 2019