KARACHI: As Pakistan’s poverty alleviation efforts buckle under persistent inflation and recurring economic shocks, the Pakistan Women’s Foundation for Peace (PWFFP) convened a roundtable discussion to deliberate on ways to counter the “feminisation of poverty”.

Participants called for progressive taxation, targeted skills development and robust social safety nets to protect millions of vulnerable women.

A recurring theme, noted by Nargis Rahman, chairperson of the PWFFP, was the frustrating continuity of debate without commensurate action.

Many of these concerns, she observed, have been discussed for decades with little to show in terms of implementation. Day-care centres, for instance, have been on the policy agenda since the 1950s. While some corporations now provide childcare facilities, women at the bottom of the economic pyramid, such as domestic workers, still have nowhere to leave their children when they go to work.

Participants frustrated by prolonged debates without concrete action

Economist Dr Shahida Wizarat criticised austerity measures under the International Monetary Fund programme, arguing that while the government trims health and education budgets, salaries and perks for senior officials remain largely untouched.

This, she contended, entrenches a vicious cycle of deprivation. Subsidies and incentives extended to the elite often translate into wealth parked offshore, resulting in capital flight. By contrast, greater public investment in education and healthcare would support low-income households and stimulate domestic economic activity, creating a virtuous cycle of growth and inclusion, she added.

The fragility of the labour market also came under scrutiny. Drawing attention to the plight of informal and contract workers, Nuzhat Shirin, former chairperson of the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women, said prevailing conditions undermine the dignity of labour. Women, who are more likely to be employed on short-term or project-based contracts, shoulder a disproportionate burden, with many earning less than the statutory minimum wage.

Women in Pakistan’s agricultural sector form the backbone of rural livelihoods. Yet despite working up to 15-18 hours a day, much of their labour remains unpaid, unrecognised and concentrated in the informal economy. They confront entrenched disparities, including significantly lower wages, alongside limited access to land ownership, credit, extension services and social protection, said the press release.

Uzma Noorani, founder of Pannah Trust in Karachi, which is a refuge for survivors of domestic violence, highlighted how intergenerational abuse compounds economic hardship. While many residents of the shelter come from low-income backgrounds and abusive households, including cases involving drug-dependent spouses, the centre has also housed doctors, lawyers and university graduates.

In a metropolis of millions, however, it can accommodate only 35 to 50 women at a time, which is a stark indicator of the acute shortage of safe spaces.

The absence of alternative shelters often forces women to remain in violent homes, perpetuating cycles of dependency and vulnerability.

Minority rights activist Pushpa Kumari painted an even starker picture in parts of interior of Sindh, such as Thar.

Urban women face significant barriers, she said, but conditions in rural areas are often harsher. While isolated examples of women driving dumper trucks are showcased as symbols of empowerment, they do not reflect the lived reality of most women, many of whom cannot safely move within their own localities due to entrenched tribal conflicts.

For minority women, the constraints are even tighter. Ms Kumari noted that her own marriage remains unregistered because the Hindu Marriage Act has yet to be fully implemented. Child marriages also persist, particularly in remote districts where law enforcement has limited reach.

The discussion underscored the layered and intersecting challenges confronting impoverished women. Expanding access to mobility, education, childcare, legal aid, digital literacy, vocational training, asset ownership and land rights could materially improve their socio-economic prospects and begin to dismantle the structural drivers of poverty.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2026