LAILA SADAF
The famous quote “Women hold up half the sky”, attributed to Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, underscores the crucial role of women in the development of a state. International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on 8th March to revisit the achievements of women as an equal member of society and to highlight the longstanding struggles of women to achieve equal rights. It is a day for women to ask for concrete solutions to their socio-economic, political and personal rights through rallies and conventions.
The origin of International Women’s Day can be traced back to the early 20th century when women’s movements started gaining momentum, initiated from the West. The first National Women’s Day was observed in the United States on February 28, 1909, to commemorate the garment workers’ strike in New York City. The following year, Socialist International convened Women’s Day to promote women’s suffrage and recognition of women’s contributions in all spheres.
In Pakistan, the annual conference of the newly formed Fem Consortia comprising 12 women’s rights organizations and five alliances from across the country was held, reflecting upon topics like women in politics, adolescent girls, working women and climate change and women. It was acknowledged in the conference that a lot of progress has been made in the status and empowerment of women in the light of increased participation of women in politics and other areas of professional life. Other glimmering areas of progress in Pakistan concerning Gender Equality include education, economic participation and political representation for both males and females.
Although the gap persists, female enrolment in primary education has climbed to 97%, exceeding the national target. This surge signifies a crucial step towards empowering future generations ultimately. Economic participation is yet another area of interest. Though the female labour force participation rate remains low at 22%, initiatives like the Benazir Income Support Programme have supported women’s economic agency, empowering them to break free from the shackles of poverty. Yet many hurdles continue to obstruct the way forward.
Lack of facilities and ignorance in health care have resulted in an increase in infant and mother mortality rates. The situation in rural areas, particularly in Sindh, KP and Balochistan is worrisome. It’s also true that women in Pakistan face multiple forms of violence, including domestic violence, honour killings, acid attacks, sexual harassment, and forced marriages. Domestic violence is rampant in all forms of violence against women in Pakistan. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 32 per cent of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence at the hands of their husbands. This violence includes beatings, burning, and even murder. Honour killings and acid attacks have also been increasingly high.
The fact is that, despite various feminist movements and rallies, a large chunk of women still lack access to basic rights because most women’s conferences are not entirely inclusive in regards to participation and discussion of issues about womenof an underprivileged class. The problems of the poor are not the problems of the rich and the privileged ones, therefore, the real points at issue go unaddressed, and hence unresolved. It also reflects upon the women’s grim life as a Pakistani national, where social and economic equality is concertedly ignored by the stakeholders and women’s rights activists. The women who really need to be heard are not given much-needed awareness and opportunities to be part of such gatherings.
Unequal opportunities for women in Pakistan may also be credited to barriers such as insufficient access to skill development, an underprivileged female education system and a lack of dedicated transportation and childcare facilities. Together, these hurdles continue to restrict female economic as well as political participation, thus, hampering their involvement in national growth. In addition, the wage gap between males and females, discrimination at the workplace and incidence of violence targeting females are entrenched in the social and cultural structure of society. In Pakistan, women receive 34% less wages as compared to their male counterparts for similar work, resulting in a pervasive inequality that asks for remedial policy frameworks and vigorous enforcement mechanisms for the same policies.
Nurturing social awareness among women of their socio-economic and political rights, formulation and enforcement of stringent laws and provision of elaborate and easily accessible support mechanisms along with social and religious taboos barring gender discrimination are indispensable to combat this menace. Navigating the path forward involves prioritising girls’ education, creating conducive environments, promoting equal pay and fair treatment at the workplace, combating violence and fostering equality and a legislative framework supported by an effective enforcement mechanism.
