Pakistan is a developing country and most of its population lives in undesirable circumstances. A large number of people in our country do not have proper places to live, and this miserable condition has given birth to a large number of beggars and the dependence of people to survive on charity. The economic conditions of an average individual are not encouraging. Poverty, hunger and unemployment have afflicted a large section of the population.
It should be remembered that, even with a 39 percent poverty rate, Pakistan’s social protection system has a narrow scope and poorly targeted safety net programmes. According to a recent assessment by the South Asian Research Foundation (SARF), these programmes serve between 10 percent and 15 percent of the population, have weak institutional frameworks, and have little capability for implementation, monitoring, or assessment. It will take a large investment to effectively reach impoverished women in order to overcome these obstacles. Adopting a national targeting strategy and implementing skill training, demand-based trades, and market research are important steps towards economic rehabilitation. For these women, this will mean better fundamental health and financial stability. We need to focus on modern skills, trades and techniques, with marketing opportunities for poor women folk, both in rural and urban Pakistan. This will not only serve to improve the financial activities of poor women, but it will also improve capacity building and explore markets for the skilled yet vulnerable. There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. Let us enable them to contribute to Pakistan’s future, as magic happens when you assist a woman in realising her potential
Budget debates on development come and go, but poverty remains despite the rhetoric of economic objectives being to reduce poverty. The emphasis of large investments on economic infrastructure and the limited expenditure on education and health in the budget are reasons for this scepticism. Overall economic growth no doubt reduces poverty, yet the trickle-down effect could be inadequate. A study on poverty has brought Pakistan face to face with a reality which says every third Pakistani is caught in the ‘poor bracket’, which means 75 million out of a total population of 245 million subsist below the poverty line. Lower per capita incomes make it extremely difficult for the poor to save and invest, a condition that perpetuates low productivity and low incomes.
Furthermore, rapid population growth also quickly absorbs increase in per capita real income and thereby negates the possibility of breaking out of the underdevelopment circle. This burden of poverty is put heavily on the female population which is 49% of the total population of Pakistan, most of whom are neglected and under-nourished.
In the past few years, it has been experienced that income earning opportunities are few and far between for the poor women of both rural and urban areas. Few of them have learnt vocational skills and often seek additional income by making and selling local handicrafts, but lack proper linkages to market these products. Employment opportunities are scarce and real earnings have declined in the last decade. The majority of our poor women also lack basic human, physical and productive assets and have limited or no access to essential social services. The severe economic pressure on families is also a constraint in improving their health and sending their children to school. Unless these women are not empowered through education and skill development, the country won’t be able to remove gender inequality.
In the World Bank Policy Research Report, it is unambiguously suggested that women empowerment is being progressively recognized as an important policy goal for improving not just the well-being of women themselves but also for its positive impact on the family. Due to recent concern and emphasis on removing gender inequality and improving women empowerment as a Sustainable Developmental Goal, many efforts have been initiated by the Government and other organisations in Pakistan. According to UNDP’s Human Development Report, Gender Equality Measure (GEM) for South Asia shows the lowest value (0.235) among all the regions of the world. Furthermore, as per Gender development Index (GDI), Pakistan has been noted as the poorest (0.179) among South Asian Countries where the average index is 0.226 (MHHDC, 2005). According to the UNDP report for 2021, the HDI for Pakistan is 0.551, which ranks Pakistan 150th out of 189 countries.
Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world. How can we bring them into the mainstream, and empower the poor women of Pakistan in particular? This question is asked in different ways, sometimes focusing on making adjustments to existing systems, sometimes by considering whether to introduce particular programs or policies. Women’s empowerment is heavily dependent on many different variables that include geographical location, educational status, social status, and age. Policies on women’s empowerment exist at the national, provincial, and local levels in many sectors, including health, education, economic opportunities, gender-based violence, and political participation. However, there are significant gaps between policy advancements and actual practice at the community level. One key factor for the gap in implementation of laws and policies to address discrimination, economic disadvantages and violence against women at the community level is the largely patriarchal structure that governs the community and households in much of Pakistan. As such, women and girls have restricted mobility, access to education, access to health facilities, and lower decision-making power, and experience higher rates of violence. Gender is a socio-cultural variable affecting both genders and their status relative to each other. Gender equality refers to a stage in human development where individuals’ rights, responsibilities, and opportunities are not determined by their gender, allowing both genders to reach their full potential.
It should be remembered that, even with a 39 percent poverty rate, Pakistan’s social protection system has a narrow scope and poorly targeted safety net programmes. According to a recent assessment by the South Asian Research Foundation (SARF), these programmes serve between 10 percent and 15 percent of the population, have weak institutional frameworks, and have little capability for implementation, monitoring, or assessment. It will take a large investment to effectively reach impoverished women in order to overcome these obstacles. Adopting a national targeting strategy and implementing skill training, demand-based trades, and market research are important steps towards economic rehabilitation. For these women, this will mean better fundamental health and financial stability. We need to focus on modern skills, trades and techniques, with marketing opportunities for poor women folk, both in rural and urban Pakistan. This will not only serve to improve the financial activities of poor women, but it will also improve capacity building and explore markets for the skilled yet vulnerable. There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. Let us enable them to contribute to Pakistan’s future, as magic happens when you assist a woman in realising her potential.
