KARACHI, Nov 28: Gender insensitivity at all levels has severely hampered active and meaningful participation of women in public sector institutions of the province.

Preliminary findings of the gender and governance study (Sindh), undertaken by the National Commission on the Status of Women in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, have revealed that general attitude towards women has excluded them from significant and decision-making government jobs.

It was perhaps due to the fact that none of the women government employees, despite seniority and well acknowledged competency, could be assigned postings equivalent to BPS 21 and 22 in any of the provincial government departments or institutions.

The survey found that no woman employee in BPS 20 or above was currently posted at the Services and General Administration Department, followed by 2.8 per cent each in grade 19 and grade 18: 3.6 per cent held posts equivalent to BPS 17, 1.1 per cent women employees could be categorized under grade 16 and 1.7 per cent under grade 15.

No woman could be assigned responsibilities at positions above BPS 17 in Sindh Police. Those holding posts in Grade 17 were mere 3.33 per cent, grade 16 1.88%, grade 14 1.22%, and grade 11 1.77%.

Ironically in the Education Department, where women are generally believed to be in the highest number, a majority of them — 43.12 per cent — were confined to BPS 16, followed by 35.36 per cent in BPS 14.

While none of the women could be deemed fit enough to hold senior positions equivalent to BPS 22 and 21, 18.18 per cent of the women workers associated with Karachi City Government (former KMC) were in BPS 20, followed by another 18.18 per cent in BPS.19, 23.85 per cent in BPS 17, 20.17 per cent in BPS 16, 28.63 per cent in BPS 16, 19.44 in BPS 15, 31.86 in BPS 14, 3.78 in BPS 12, 1.86 in BPS.11 and 1.10 per cent in BPS 10.

In Sindh Public Service Commission, 33.33 per cent could be placed under BPS 20, while none is in BPS 22 or 21, 11.11 were in grade 19, 26.78 in grade 18, 30.51 in grade 17 and 43.24 per cent in grade.16.

Fouzia Rehman, who presented the preliminary findings of the inquiry during a Sindh level stakeholders’ workshop, referred to the observations made by both male and female government employees during the survey regarding the issue of reserved quotas for women, recruitment guidelines and status of gender composition of employment in the public sector organizations.

Male government officers feared that quota, if implemented, would merely achieve a sharing out of employment to well connected women, particularly with political clout.

They were generally supportive of equal educational opportunities for both male and female population of the country. Women employees, however, said higher education vis-a- vis seniority was a myth rather than a reality as very often men who may be simply graduates had much higher grades than their even foreign educated women counterparts.

Stereotypical perceptions that women are less suited than men for many jobs, they do not stay with their jobs after marriage, women remain absent from work more often than men, women are unable to travel etc., were also cited as factors prohibiting the women to acquire important postings and opportunities to prove their skill.

With reference to working conditions in the government offices, it was found that they work under implicit social norms and networks, social discipline was hierarchical and there existed a social cohesion between men and systematic subordination/alienation of the women. The factors were cited to entrench women employees particularly those in low grade jobs.

Women respondents also referred to their experience of hostility/harassment by their male colleagues. They were also stated to experience a low standard of office facilities and revealed a sense of uneasiness in the inter-office seating arrangements and above all absence of separate toilets for women.

While women employees were generally reluctant to talk about sexual harassment and preferred not to acknowledge it, some preferred to defuse the situation recognizing that the cost of confrontation was likely to be high.

The participants of the workshop recommended the need for across-the-board awareness with special reference to gender sensitivity.

Rehana Memon of the Planning and Development Department stressed the need for adequate representation of women in Sindh Government Employees Workers Association.

M.M. Usmani of Sindh Public Service Commission said while theoretically equal opportunities for all were available, in almost all departments and professions, there existed no dearth of instances where women were deliberately ignored during the process of employment apart from common practice to sideline them during promotion and important assignments.

He referred to the fact that women, even those belonging to urban sectors, are often noticed to be unaware of job opportunities as they do not come across the Public Service Commission’s advertisements in the press.

Justice (retd) Shaiq Usmani deliberating upon the issue of harassment said the concerned head of the department should be held accountable for inaction, in case a complaint is lodged and also found to be genuine.

Rehana Saleem referred to the efforts made with regard to capacity building project on gender and governance, particularly to address the issue of women’s employment in the public sector.—APP