March 10, 2002

There are approximately 2000 registered NGOs in Pakistan working exclusively on women’s issues. Women are extremely visible in this sector, specially at policy-making levels

SHE trudges along the day, silently going her way; she rises despite the strong patriarchal trends which permeate attitudes and behaviour in a society entrenched in culture. She breaks the barriers of linguistic, ethnic and cultural complexities and emerges strong-willed and more determined than ever. She is the Pakistani woman.

International Women’s Day is a day on which we as women reflect on the deal we have given to the greater half of society.

With the media revolution shrinking the world into a global village, concepts and ideas travel from one part of the world into another virtually at the speed of light. This often affects the thinking process as well as life patterns of a society by advocating values which may be diametrically opposed to the mores and age-old norms. However the positive aspect of the issue is that the scenario is changing everywhere including our own country, Pakistan.

For purposes of analysis, we could divide the female component of our nation into two distinct parts, the urban and the rural. Their conditions are worlds apart and so are the perspectives for them to be more productive in economic development.

As for the urban women, we have a clear distinction between the urban uneducated (or semi-educated) and the urban educated. It cannot be denied that the latter segment has made a contribution to our national progress. Conversely, no matter what many other groups may say, these women have been afforded an opportunity by the system to display their potential. While many groups may crib about discrimination against women, and to some extent rightly so, we cannot overlook the example of Begum Raana Liaquat All Khan, who, 50 years ago, was sent as Pakistan’s ambassador, at a time when our society was far more conservative. She has been followed in the field by a host of others. So much so that today, the most important diplomatic assignment, the envoy to the US, is held by a woman, Maleeha Lodhi. Pakistan has just set up full-fledged diplomatic ties with the Irish Republic and the first envoy is Ms Riffat Nizami. There is not a field of activity where women are not playing a pivotal role. There’s not a ministry or a department where women are not represented. And despite all the propaganda, Pakistan is the only Islamic country which has twice had a woman as head of government, Benazir Bhutto.

There are approximately 2000 registered NGOs in Pakistan working exclusively on women’s issues. Women are extremely visible in this sector, specially at policy-making levels.

In the field of education in particular the country is indebted to the female half of the population. In the field of medicine, on the aggregate, women form fifty percent of the doctor staff in hospitals, far more than in any Western country.

There’s another lot of urban women who are not fortunate enough to boast of quality education or training but even then they are contributing to their family incomes while working as secretaries or receptionists at offices. There is yet another class which works at factories or small industries.

Coming to the second segment, the main overwhelming component of our nation, the rural woman - her lot is certainly lamentable. She is stuck in a time-warp and is probably the toughest worker of all the womenfolk of our society.

The irony of fate is that most of her work goes unnoticed. The women in the rural areas of Pakistan, make a far greater contribution to the national economy. Their contribution has never been documented but agriculture being a major component of Pakistan’s economy (75 percent), these rural women have a great role to play, especially in the process of cotton picking or winnowing the grain at the time of harvesting. Moreover, women have played a really valuable role as traditional birth attendants (midwives), as health counsellors or as voluntary teachers in makeshift schools. Unfortunately their contribution, too, has gone as unrecognized as the contribution of housewives (both urban as well as rural) who perform all the domestic work and take all the burden of responsibilities on their shoulders.

Overview: According to the Economic Survey, the total employed female labour force is over 5 million of which 3 million are in the informal sector whilst over 1.5 million work in the formal sector.

Participation in women’s labour force has risen at a greater rate than that of men since 1980 with a growth rate of over 5 percent.

Approximately 70 percent of the female labour force is in the agricultural sector and the rest are in the non-agricultural sector i.e. community and social services, manufacturing, trade etc. The average daily employment of women in factories of major industry groups is highest in chemical and dyes, followed by textiles, food, drinks and tobacco, skins and hides, engineering, wood, glass and stone.

Women in the Informal Sector: The informal sector has grown tremendously in Pakistan however the constant problem of finding comprehensive gender-disaggregated data prevails. For example over 100,000 women work in the brick kilns but are not officially employed as the entire family is employed, of which only the male head is registered. As such there are hundreds of thousands of such women working in the informal sector, but unaccounted for. (Approximately 65 percent)

Women in the Formal Sector: Women’s participation in the formal industrial labour force is rising with particular emphasis on the export sector. Apparel, pharmaceutical, fish processing industries are just some of the industries which employ greater number of women. Substantial number of women with mid-level educational qualifications are absorbed into clerical and allied occupations, nursing and primary and secondary school teaching.

Women in Agriculture: In the agricultural sector, women’s involvement is extensive both in terms of labour input and farm management. Almost 70 percent of Pakistan women in the labour force earn their living in the rural economy. Women perform some of the most time-intensive tasks such as cutting fodder and fetching wood and water. Work done by women, accounts for the largest proportion of non mechanized agricultural labour. Rural women work 12-1 6 hours a day while men work 2-4hours less.

Women’s Representation and Participation: Women are now represented in several unions and federations. Some associations have been set up for and by women such as the Nurses Federation, the Working Women’s Centre in Karachi, the Working Women’s Federation in Multan and the Working Women’s Organization in Punjab.

In each province, hundreds of women are enrolled as lawyers with a large number of advocates. Female judges are also appointed in the Superior Judiciary. There has also been a great influx of women in media, particularly in journalism thus increasing the female workforce in newspapers, magazines etc.

Participation of women in bureaucracy has gone up over the years. All assemblies have female participation. The role and effectiveness of women legislators cannot be undermined. Other than being elected on seats specifically reserved for them, women are now represented in a number of ministries as well as being elected Nazims and District Officers.

Pakistani womenfolk, it has been amply demonstrated, are imbued with a tremendous zeal and drive to better their lot, and even after successfully fulfilling their domestic role as wives and mothers, are making more contribution than ever before, to national progress. They have made it clear on many occasions that they are nowhere behind their male colleagues when it comes to ingenuity and resourcefulness.

However, what is indispensable is the fuel to run this engine of ingenuity. This fuel is education.

Education which almost for the last sixty years, which has not been taken seriously needs a better allocation of finances has to get an overwhelming edge over all other spheres of national life if women are to get a better deal. In particular the rural areas really clamour for education. The women in the rural areas have all the potential to make tremendous progress, like their urban counterparts if given the opportunity. Only education will empower the rural woman to realize that it has not been divinely ordained for them to be a vassal. That she is not an inferior form of creation just because the village cleric or her menfolk say so. The forces of creativity among the rural womenfolk have to be unshackled for them to play their due role in national progress and economy.

A traditional Pakistani woman’s role goes beyond the realm of caring, nurturing and household maintenance. Caring activities carried out by women at the household level are at the core of all human activities. Household duties, caring for the sick, the old and children contribute significantly to human well being.

The reproductive role played by women is perhaps one of the most valuable contributions made by women to their households, communities and the world and is greatly under-appreciated. Unpaid household work and caring efforts can not be ascribed economic value. All women, employed or not, must be counted as unpaid family helpers.

But since 1947, the fields of health, education and social welfare, all three put together, have not got more than a single (1) percent of the GDP. Will this measly spending deliver the goods? The Pakistani woman waits for the answer.

Despite the pressures and the hindrances, the Pakistani Woman is leaving her footprint where ever she goes, be it as the leader of the nation or as a domestic household worker. On March 8th, International Women’s Day let’s pay tribute to the women who make us all proud.

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