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Celebrating women: Meet four Pakistani female economists creating an impact in a male-dominated field

Celebrating women: Meet four Pakistani female economists creating an impact in a male-dominated field

Despite many obstacles, women have gone on to carve a niche for themselves in the world of economics.
Updated 31 Mar, 2022

Economics is an indispensable way of understanding how societies work but women remain under-represented in the field.

Biases against women often deter their chances of breaking into the field and blazing through. However, despite such obstacles, many women have gone on to successfully carve a niche for themselves as economists. This March, we're celebrating four Pakistani women economists who've made valuable contributions in their respective areas of specialisation.

Maha Rehman, Director Policy at Mahbub-ul-Haq Research Centre

Maha Rehman is Director Policy at Mahbub-ul-Haq Research Centre in LUMS. She has extensive experience in designing and executing evidence-based programmes, products and policies to improve service delivery and impact. Over the past two years, Rehman has actively engaged in multi-pronged analytical response to Covid-19 in Pakistan, tracking disease incidence and economic indicators, predicting outbreak, assessing impact on income, unemployment and remittances as well as evaluating the efficacy of various policies.

Prior to that, Rehman led research experiments and setup the Analytics Wing at Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP). She has also led research experiments at the World Bank in the fields of education, public finance and governance. She completed her graduate studies in Economics from Duke University in the United States and has an undergraduate degree in Economics and Mathematics from LUMS.

Rehman's aspiration to become an economist stemmed from her childhood. "Growing up, I often heard my father — who was an electrical engineer leading various functions in the Lahore Electric Supply Company — remark how electricity shortage was a result of several factors beyond his control. This led to a feeling of moderate discomfort at not being able to understand the problem. The feeling was further accentuated when I picked up a newspaper and did not understand the business and economics section that seemed important. This led me to opt for Economics in A-Levels that was taught by a fantastic instructor, Mr Mumtaz Ahmed, who helped generate my interest in the field to an extent that it was impossible to give up this line of work and that interest only kept growing. My work at World Bank, CERP and more recently with new partners has only added fuel to this fire."

Rehman has been fortunate to have gained "due respect and room to learn and thrive" at her alma mater, however not everyone has had the same positive experiences. It can be tough to be an economist in Pakistan. "Working as an economist in Pakistan is hard, not because of any bias stemming from male colleagues, who have only been supportive [in my case], but because of the general work culture across collaborations, partnerships and commitments," she said. "Credibility has to be earned by working twice as hard and boundaries need to be pushed, bit by bit, to create more room."

Does Rehman have advice for aspiring female economists? "Keep going!" she said. "No matter what the challenges, the work is exciting and rewarding. So let passion and hard work lead the way."

Asma Hyder, dean and professor at IBA, Karachi

Dr Asma Hyder is dean and professor at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi. She is a former member of the Planning Commission at the Ministry of Planning Development and Reform. She is also a recipient of the Fulbright J. William Award for International Understanding for a post-doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania (US). Hyder has been a visiting research fellow at the University of Sussex (UK), London School of Economics and Political Science (UK) and Carleton University (Canada).

Hyder's research interests focus on development issues, specifically different labour market issues, wage differentials and schooling, gender, health and social well-being. She also studies household behaviour and preferences toward child schooling — as communities experience economic and climatic shocks — in the world's most vulnerable and poorest societies. Her regional interests include Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to Hyder, there are fewer women than there are men in the field. Sadly, that's a trend found in every field in Pakistan. "Female participation is enormously low in every discipline in Pakistan," she said. "There should be mentorship programmes to encourage women to study macroeconomics, econometrics and firm theory. Understanding the core fields of economics will help women become a part of policy and decision-making circles at the national level, which ultimately affects households [in the country]."

Sabrin Beg, assistant professor at the University of Delaware, USA

Sabrin Beg is an Assistant Professor at the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics in the University of Delaware. She has a PhD in Economics from Yale University, her primary areas of expertise being development, economic history, political economy and applied microeconomics. Beg's research spans projects in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ghana and India.

Beg works as an academic economist. "I publish research on topics in economic development. My work involves understanding economic decision-making by agents in various roles — households, workers, public sector employees and politicians. Additionally, I teach undergraduate and PhD economics courses. I also advise students pursuing doctoral studies in economics and related fields."

According to Beg, women who do opt for the field face various biases and challenges. "Dealing with bias starts with identifying it. Over the years, I have learned this from the valuable work of my colleagues and researched it on my own. We know from recent research that women in economics get significantly less credit than men for group work. My own research shows that managers have lower subjective ratings for female workers, even when those workers are objectively more effective. As part of my work, I perform in teams and also receive subjective performance assessments; these biases thus appear in my own professional experience. Being aware of them helps me deal with them, make others equally aware and advocate for myself.

Beg's advise to aspiring female economists is to find role models and support. "Identify your role models, mentors and the people who will support you — and lean on them," she said. "Don't be afraid to ask questions and seek guidance. You know your abilities more than anyone else and you are the best marketer for yourself — don't be modest about your achievements," she said.

Hadia Majid, associate professor of economics at LUMS, Lahore

Dr Hadia Majid is an Associate Professor of Economics at LUMS. A Fulbright Scholar, she holds a PhD in Development Economics and an MA in Economics from The Ohio State University She's also done an MSc in Economics from University of Warwick and a BSc in Economics from LUMS. Her work has been published in several international journals and she is currently editing a book titled Gender at Work in Pakistan. Her work has been funded by several agencies such as ESRC-DFID, IDRC, IGC, IFPRI and Oxfam among others. She has acted as a consultant for government and non-governmental agencies on gendered labour market outcomes.

"As an economist my objective is to investigate and understand human behaviour," she said. "My research agenda considers how monetary and public resource constraints affect individuals in Pakistan. In particular, I explore effects of cash transfers, public goods provisioning, human capital acquisition in the context of intra-household decision making, and factors influencing women’s access to earned income. Here, I document and explore the barriers to women’s labour supply and their access to decent, empowering work."

Talking about her journey towards becoming an economist, Majid said, "I took up economics in college and liked it from the very first course that I took. I was fortunate to have been taught by excellent professors who were adept at applying theory to the local context. I was hooked when I did field research in my third year in college though."

She feels that while women have had a solid presence in the field historically, however "economics still sees far too few women entering the discipline". "I think that the discipline suffers because of it, particularly when it comes to its policy outlook," she said. "Consistently though, I find that with regard to the students that I teach, women are amongst the top performers. Many of them go on to graduate school, some for PhDs. I think that the numbers and the trends are changing gradually and I think there’s a lot more openness about and discussions happening today about the gendered experience and the inequalities within the discipline than was the case even a decade ago. I take this as a positive sign.

What's her advise to aspiring economists? "My advice to those looking to enter academia is that it is hard in general and it’s especially hard to get funding and to get publications out," she said. "You face a lot of rejection. However, there are now a lot more outlets. You just have to find the right fit and not be discouraged. To those interested in the discipline but not looking to enter academia, I think it’s worth keeping in mind that the discipline offers tools to understand human interactions, and the learning that it offers can be applied to any context. So don’t bind yourself to any specific industry. At the end of the day, it’s important to continue to expand your opportunity set, to acknowledge your constraints and identify the extent to which you can relax these, and to recruit support."

Comments

Seelu Mar 29, 2022 09:18am
Now what???
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AHGONDAL Mar 29, 2022 09:33am
We are proud of our learned daughters.
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Ramsha Mar 29, 2022 09:34am
Thank you for acknowledging women in economics. These ladies are setting precedent for many others. I feel so proud that most of the courses I took in economics at University level were taught by female economists. All of them were very competent economists.
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F.Iqbal Mar 29, 2022 09:46am
Well done ladies. You have made all Pakistanis proud, Shahbash.
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M Emad Mar 29, 2022 10:29am
Gang of Four.
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Truth Mar 29, 2022 10:35am
One of these women should become PM of Pakistan unless we want to reach USD for 2000 PKR.
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Arshad Mar 29, 2022 11:46am
Women have half the intelligence of that of men.
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Akram Mar 29, 2022 11:47am
So when will these ladies bring Nobel Prize in economics/banking etc ?
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Abdul Rasheed Gadit Mar 29, 2022 12:49pm
@Arshad Women are as intelligent as men, but nowadays they seem to be more knowledgeable in some field, especially in medicine.
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Chrís Dăn Mar 29, 2022 12:55pm
Inspiring ladies.
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Chrís Dăn Mar 29, 2022 12:56pm
@Akram you never know future .
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Mango Kashmiri,Srinagar Mar 29, 2022 01:04pm
@Truth Care about Your bharat ,the people hardly afford a single meal and most sleep on footpaths.
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Abdul Rasheed Gadit Mar 29, 2022 01:06pm
@Seelu what do you mean by saying :So what:
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RK V Mar 29, 2022 01:12pm
@Arshad because you treat them that way. Not allowing them to grow or look beyond religion. Interestingly none are wearing burkas here.
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Syed A. Mateen Mar 29, 2022 01:29pm
The country is running short of a lady who should have diversified experience similar to present chief of IMF Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas. I am sure that with the passage of time some one similar to Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas will emerge on the surface so that country should be able to have her assistance as how to run economy and collect taxes from uncounted people who are not paying taxes despite their financial ability. The circular debt is on one hand to deal with and amount of loan taken from IMF is on other hand which is increasing day by day due to falling value of rupee. We need to fix this as soon as we can and take the country out after re-paying entire IMF loan as soon as we can. If one of them out of four ladies is capable to deal with this problem and fix economy in such a way that country should be able to come out from circular debt / IMF loan she should apply to federal government at the first instance and I am sure that government will hire her as chief economist.
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JustSaying Mar 29, 2022 01:52pm
All the Best Young Ladies... May you Climb to Great Heights.... Appreciate your Grit and Determination in a Male Dominated Patriarchal Society....
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Mahmood Mar 29, 2022 02:11pm
I'm amused! For a change, no comments about ''elite, from rich families'' or ''pretty faces"??
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M. Saeed Mar 29, 2022 02:19pm
@Arshad only as witnesses !
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M. Saeed Mar 29, 2022 02:21pm
@Akram, Nobel price is just by accident. Otherwise, there are thousands of recommended candidates every year, who are not even examined.
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Syed Hasni Mar 29, 2022 02:48pm
How many female economists are needed to run a country? It doesn't matter, since nobody listens to them anyways.
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Hamed Mar 29, 2022 03:02pm
@Arshad the better half ofcourse!
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George Mar 29, 2022 03:02pm
@Truth Imran khan studied economics too
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Mar 29, 2022 03:03pm
Great move and excellent news. Welcome to the distinguished club and the unique clubhouse. As always, keep it up and hang on tough.
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Mahmood Mar 29, 2022 03:09pm
@Akram Just as soon as you get your Noble Prize - for.... whatever your achievements have been to-date??? Or are you not even in the same league??
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Mak Mar 29, 2022 03:15pm
Proud moment . Amazing
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Abdul Basit Mar 29, 2022 03:39pm
You forgot female economists of PIDE Islamabad.
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Siva Digavalli Mar 29, 2022 03:42pm
Wonderful!! Onward and upward!
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kathy Mar 29, 2022 03:49pm
@Arshad and off course your comment is a reflection of your intelligence
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Henchi Mar 29, 2022 03:50pm
Amazing that all four are the products of American Universities.
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Secular Ash Mar 29, 2022 04:48pm
Wow. Assistant Professor at University of Delaware, a very significant appointment. Just one step away from the award of Nobel Prize for Economics.
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Attiya Mar 29, 2022 04:50pm
@Seelu , Why are you scared of educated women!!!
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the MIRROR Mar 29, 2022 04:53pm
NICE TRY.
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Attiya Mar 29, 2022 04:53pm
Great article! One of my daughters also wanted to graduate in Economics, but somehow I discouraged her as I thought she would end up jobless in a man dominated field. I was clearly wrong! Thank you for this great read!
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Taj Ahmad Mar 29, 2022 05:57pm
Women's in today's world can be a better leaders in various countries and CEOs of large companies if they given a chance to proof it. Queen Elizabeth of UK, PM of New Zealand, former woman Chancellor of Germany, former PM Indira Ghandi of India and late PM Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan are few great example in our women's world.
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Anis Ul Hassan Khan Mar 29, 2022 06:03pm
Alhamdu Lillah Subhanahu wa Taala. Great achievement. I would like to introduce you another super achiever in the field of trade economics Ms Hiba Batool a trade economist at International Trade Center Geneva working on GRASP projects in Pakistan. A high achiever graduate from IBA & Master's from World Trade Institute Bern. Switzerland.
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Mahmood Mar 29, 2022 06:37pm
@Truth So, just because they are women, they must have a magic formulae to reduce the global oil prices, shipping costs, supply chain issues, war in Ukraine and stop all the refugees heading to Europe?? Do you have any clue why even the US President is not able to solve all these problems, or the Chinese Tiger able to tame the rising gas and oil prices? Oh, wait. We're talking about men. Imagine if Women were in charge. There would be no problems in the world. Just like a woman in Myanmaar could not stop the genocide??
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Indie Guy Mar 29, 2022 06:59pm
We rarely hear about such educated women. Good job, Dawn! We only hear about women fighting for their right to wear the hijab as if that is the most important issue facing Muslim women.
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KAZIM REZA Mar 29, 2022 07:24pm
Brilliant daughters of Pakistan. The nation has been proving it time and again.
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well wisher Mar 29, 2022 07:38pm
Great achievements due to hard work, respectable degrees, and desire to succeed. I can only imagine the family support without which progress is difficult. Did family financial situation play a part?
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Zaheer Khan Mar 30, 2022 01:50am
One of them is American not Pakistani .
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Fastforward Mar 30, 2022 01:57am
In a patriarchy dominant society, it is a great achievement.
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Sharif Ahmad Mar 30, 2022 02:59am
@Arshad That doubles their achievement. if half the intelligence can achieve that then big shame for ignorant people of full intelligence who couldn't achieve that much
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Firangi Mar 30, 2022 07:05am
Well done ladies! Keep it up!
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Khalid Mar 30, 2022 09:39am
Kudos!!!! Refreshing and such proud feeling in the midst of all what's going on in the country. 2 thumbs up!!
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Dr Abdul Majeed Nadeem Mar 30, 2022 10:16am
Welldone, dear economist
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Dr Abdul Majeed Nadeem Mar 30, 2022 10:16am
well done
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Pir Pankhi Shah Mar 30, 2022 12:09pm
I think there are many more mentions that can be included in this list. Prof. Dr. Samina Khalil, Director, Applied Economics Research Centre, University of Karachi; Dr Khalida Ghaus Pasha; Dr Shahida Wizarat and many more can be included.
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Babar Mar 30, 2022 01:49pm
Sorry, maybe I missed something, what was/is purpose of the article? Hundreds of millions women around the globe hold high ranking posts, and its accepted as the norm, yet here we are, an article on Pak women holding high ranking jobs, in a way the article is highlighting the exception and not the norm, and this day and age its rather disappointing. Its bit like Saudi women given permission and allowed to drive, its the norm around the world, accept in the backward Saudi, and the occasion was celebrated with fanfare, fanfare for what? In that the Saudi's have come out of the stone age?
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khalid mufti Mar 30, 2022 03:23pm
I feel proud of these Pakistani ladies. The irony however is that they are never represented on electronic media perhaps due to their impartial and nonpolitical approach.
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Shahid Ahmed Mar 30, 2022 04:45pm
@Babar Mr. Babar Yes, looks like you have! One of the purposes of the article is to inspire women/girls. And I doubt very much that there are 100s of millions of women that are so accomplished and hold such high-ranking posts.
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Ehteshamul Haque Mar 30, 2022 06:28pm
Hats off to such wonderful prides of Pakistan.
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Babu Mar 30, 2022 08:56pm
@Zaheer Khan so what? Pakistani origin, so reason to feel pride and wish them the best, no?
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Omar Saiyid Mar 30, 2022 11:23pm
Outstanding! Wonderful to see these accomplishments.
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Gautam Bajaj Mar 31, 2022 02:31am
Compare that with India where the Finance Minister is a woman
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Salman Mar 31, 2022 06:59am
Important to recognize our women who are doing great work in their fields. I'd love to see a piece on women who hail from humble backgrounds, defied all social norms and made it big in Pakistan.
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Zartasha Mar 31, 2022 10:34am
Thats so inspiring
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