In a country where women’s rights and their contributions are generally disregarded, if not actively trampled, the findings of a recent report on their representation in the corporate sector are hardly shocking.

It appears that of the 559 listed firms on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, only 21 have female directors on their boards — a dismal number given that their male colleagues number some 4,000. Similarly, a mere 32 independent female directors sit on the boards of other, non-listed, companies.

This aspect of the corporate world came under discussion on Wednesday in Karachi at a ceremony at the PSX held to support the agenda of Women on Board-Pakistan. Predictably enough, speakers said that female executives ought to be offered greater opportunities to climb the corporate ladder, and pointed out that 162 female executives had trained and qualified under the directors’ training programme initiated by the Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance.

This is unsurprising, because at such high levels of power, whether in the corporate world or in other sectors, there is no shortage of those paying lip service to gender equality and many who perhaps genuinely believe that men and women should have equal opportunities in the workplace. As always though, the devil lies in the detail.

When it comes to women-friendly policies at the institutional level, such as paid maternity leave, a workplace free of harassment and a gender-blind promotion structure, most are found lacking.

The recent appointment of Sima Kamil as the head of United Bank Limited is heartening — but it is an anomaly. And yet why single out the corporate sector alone for operating like a boys’ club when parallels can be found everywhere, the realm of politics being amongst the most obvious.

There is much patting of backs in Pakistan over the fact that this was the first country in the Muslim world to elect a female prime minister. Her achievements notwithstanding, though, the sad fact remains that women that do participate actively in politics tend to be allowed to do so on the coattails of their fathers or husbands.

It is a matter of record that despite their numbers being low, women’s performance outstrips that of their male colleagues in the assemblies; even so, political parties remain reluctant to nominate women for general seats.

Pakistan is of course not alone in this imbalance vis-à-vis women’s participation in the workforce; but there is no doubt that the glass ceiling is lower here.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2017