January 01, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 10, 1427

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RAWALPINDI, Dec 31: More and more women are entering the job market in the city. They are keen to seize any work opportunity that is on offer.

The public sector has been the women’s favoured employer. But now an increasing number is joining the private sector. One sees women at most work places, be they private teaching institutions, real estate dealers, publicity and advertisement businesses or cellphone companies.

It is a measure of women’s growing self-confidence. They do not wish to remain confined to domestic chores and wherever they can they join the mainstream of the country’s economic and productive life. The idea of financial independence of women now seems to be in general vogue.

“This is my first job and a thrilling experience for me, and I am enjoying it thoroughly,” said Shazia, who joined an advertisement agency three months ago. She said she was taking her job as a first step in the long journey towards financial independence. I see more opportunities as I look ahead, she said.

But it is obvious women have a long way to go. The working women have a host of problems to face.

The first on their way to office is the poor and rude transport service. Many women who have to use public transport have to wait to find a suitable seat in the buses or wagons.

For some this alone is a big discouragement for taking up a job. But employers who provide pick up and drop facilities have their vacancies filled up in no time, even if they pay less.

The second serious problem is harassment at workplaces at the hands of their male colleagues. Apart from gender discrimination they have to put up with excessive attention of frustrated males who consider working women as an easy prey for their immoral intentions.

Some enterprises which hire women as window dressing for their businesses often exploit them by withholding salaries or paying them less than their due on the pretext of business slump or similar excuses. “I have not been paid my salary for the last three months,” said Nighat, who works as a receptionist at a property dealer’s office. She said her employer was delaying the payment of her salary saying his business was not doing well. She said she was thinking about leaving the job and resuming her study.

Shehnaz Bukhari, who heads an NGO dealing with the rights of working women, said there were no laws to protect women against exploitation at workplaces.