Most of us witnessed a large number of women in France leaving their offices at 4:34 pm on the 7th of November 2016. This step might seem insignificant but it holds extraordinary symbolic value for women from all over the world. When the French women stepped out of their offices, they marked the day when they stood up for equality i.e. equal pay for equal work. In France, women make up almost 48 percent of the workforce, but it is men who earn about 15.1 percent more. Even across Europe women earn almost 16.1 percent less than men. A similar move was witnessed when on October 24, women in Iceland left work at 2:38 pm to demand for equal wage rights. The wage disparity in Iceland is about 14 percent.
On November 9, Americans elected their 45th president, Donald J Trump. Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent, lost. When Barack Obama won his first election, the whole world thought that Americans were moving forward, and had elected their first African-American president. A similar feeling about Hillary Clinton winning the elections existed among people who were following the presidential election campaign. However, they have been proven wrong, as America is still not ready to accept a woman as its president. So the misogyny that exists in the rest of the world also stands true for Americans.
The situation in our country for women is of course far worse than most of the countries of the world. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2015, Pakistan ranks as the world’s second worst country in terms of gender equality. The situation might be better for women working in the formal services sector with various provisions, but those working in the informal sector face many difficulties. Home-based women workers account for almost 80 percent of the workforce.
According to various reports, there are more than 12.5 million home-based workers (HBWs) in Pakistan, and most of these workers are women. Growing poverty and inflation in the country and around the world is rapidly increasing the number of HBWs around the globe. HBWs in Pakistan not only suffer from inhumane working conditions but are also not being paid properly. One of the reasons behind this injustice is lack of implementation of any policy for HBWs. Due to long working hours — 16-18 hours per day — HBWs, especially women, suffer from multi-dimensional issues. Not only does their health starts to deteriorate but also they are not able to take good care of their families and children.
Due to a lack of policy for HBWs in Pakistan, a large majority of which is women, they are suffering a great deal. Since the sector is informal, therefore, it fails to receive the attention of policy makers. Some civil society organisations are working for the approval of a policy for the HBWs but so far they have not been successful.
As said earlier, there are a few organisations that are working for the rights of women HBWs, but so far, they have not been successful in raising a consolidated voice for their rights. Therefore, the need of the hour is to organise these women so that they are recognised by policy makers. Advocacy groups should also prepare draft bills for the rights of HBWs, especially keeping in view that the large majority of those are women. Some organisations have also worked to prepare draft bills, but they have not been successful in tabling them in parliament. These draft bills also need improvements. More importantly, there is a dire need to engage these women workers and make them aware about their rights.
Although a protest similar to the one that happened in France might be a far cry for the women HBWs in Pakistan, but they can start by taking the first step in the right direction. Civil society organisations working on similar issues need to step forward and organise these women. Secondly, awareness sessions should be held, and these women should be made aware that they have some rights and they need to protect them. Once organised, these women will be in a better position to raise their voices for their rights, which will not only improve their status but will also help improve Pakistan’s ranking in the Global Gender Gap Index.
The writer is a development consultant. She tweets at @GulminaBilal and can be reached at [email protected]