The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Gender Parity Report places Pakistan at the very bottom – 148th out of 148 countries – with a gender parity score of 56.75 per cent. The ranking is both shocking and devastating.
Fifty per cent of the population remains unaware of this ranking and continues to strive to improve their circumstances for themselves and their families. In this context, the reality of Pakistani women needs to be unpacked. A major local development that received little attention is that 48 per cent of all candidates who passed the CSS exams this year were women. Female access to finance also expanded from 21 million to 37 million in 2021.
For those of us observing women breaking glass ceilings – working in the labour force, holding key positions in the public and private sectors, excelling in sports, media, social media, art and entrepreneurship – the list is long. Yet, according to the report, women still access only one-third of the economic resources available to men. In educational attainment, Pakistan showed a 1.5 percentage point gain, raising parity to 85.1 per cent; however, this improvement is partly due to a decline in male tertiary enrolment. One must also note local success stories such as the 89 per cent female literacy rate in Tehsil Shakargarh, nearly 88 per cent in Kotli Sattian and significant rates in Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan.
On the political empowerment front, Pakistan’s score dropped from 12.2 per cent in 2024 to 11 per cent in 2025. Women’s participation increased, yet only three women currently hold ministerial positions in the federal cabinet. The women who win on general seats are true heroes – such as Nausheen Iftikhar, Nafisa Shah, Aseefa Zardari, Zartaj Gul and Sharmila Farooqi – who together passed the Child Marriage Age Restraint Act 2025 (ICT). In the 2024 elections, 111 political parties nominated 280 women candidates, of whom 12 were elected.
The advice from the WEF report remains generalised, and its diagnosis blames ingrained societal and systemic inequalities. Hence, experts suggest increasing investment in women’s empowerment. But the question looms large: who will empower whom? Are they addressing the state, when empowerment now increasingly lies in women’s own hands?
Around the time this report was launched, I began my podcast Life Talks on the platform Narratives, where I interview women of excellence who are crossing geographical and class boundaries to excel in their respective fields. There are countless women making a difference every day. Notable examples include Maryam Nawaz Sharif; Malala Yousafzai; and Aseefa Zardari. Institutional change is also visible within the police, where more women are joining the officer ranks.
In the Foreign Office, Ambassador Amna Baloch is currently the highest-ranking woman. Ambassador Ayesha Farooqui served in Ireland and facilitated the opening of the Irish embassy in Islamabad. Ambassador Mumtaz Zehra Baloch, after serving in Brussels, is now set to go to France. Ambassador Mariam Aftab served in Bulgaria and will soon represent Pakistan in Ireland. MNA Hina Rabbani Khar remains an all-time favourite, known for her grit and expertise as a former foreign minister.
In sports, young women are excelling too. Naila Kiyani, a high-altitude mountaineer, scaled seven major summits in less than six months. Sana Mir, former captain of Pakistan’s women’s cricket team, became the first Pakistani woman inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Samina Baig became the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest, while footballer Karishma Ali from Chitral and Arooj Kiyani, named Woman of the Year by the International Tent Pegging Federation 2025, are also making waves.
In the private sector, the list is equally long: Jehan Ara, the driving force behind the Pakistan Software Association; Rabia Garib, CEO of Toffee TV, which helps children learn through storytelling; Salina Haroon, a leader in telecommunications and technology; Roshanneh Zafar, executive director of the Kashf Foundation; and Maheen Rahman, CEO of Alfalah Investment Management. We also have restaurateurs, designers, activists, journalists, actors – the list is long.
Women in law have also been at the forefront of change – starting from Asma Jahangir to today’s women judges: Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Mussarat Hilali, Justice Tahira Safdar and Amna Zamir Shah. Sabahat Rizvi became the first-ever female secretary of the Lahore High Court Bar and Rabbiya Bajwa the first vice-president of the Bar Association. In other fields, Dr Sarah Qureshi is an aerospace engineer; Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an Oscar-winning filmmaker; Shahida Parveen is Pakistan’s first female firefighter; Ayesha Farooq is the first war-ready fighter pilot; the late Marium Mukhtar also served as a fighter pilot; and Lt Gen Nigar Johar remains the only woman to have reached that rank in the Pakistan Army. Recently, Nida Saleh became the first female metro train driver in Lahore, and the Hunza All-Women Band continues to inspire.
Female academics have achieved remarkable success too – Dr Ayesha Jalal, historian; Dr Tasneem Zehra Hussain, Pakistan’s first PhD in string theory; Dr Asifa Akhtar, molecular biologist; Dr Rabia Akhtar, expert in international relations and security; Dr Sania Nishtar, head of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance; and Dr Gulalai Wali Khan, the first female general surgeon from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Pakistan has not been able to tell the stories of the thousands of women who are making a difference – women whose untold stories challenge negative narratives. Women are now joining hands to share their achievements. Recently, Gilgit-Baltistan launched a platform to highlight local businesswomen. Gen Z is organising hackathons and online chat groups are emerging in solidarity. For me, women’s empowerment is not something handed out – like part of a laptop scheme – but something recognised in the glory that already lies within 50 per cent of our population.
While the gender gap persists due to limited institutional opportunities, women themselves continue to contribute meaningfully. The WEF report offers a narrow interpretation. Major barriers include the country’s burgeoning population, widespread poverty – with 45 per cent living below the poverty line – and weak data collection, particularly regarding women’s participation in the labour force.
State quotas for women often go unfilled. The National Commission on the Status of Women has begun highlighting this ‘data emergency’, while the Parliamentary Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming is engaging with government institutions to identify gender gaps. A committee has also been set up by the prime minister to review the WEF report.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has indicated plans to launch a Womenpreneurship Platform to enhance female participation in SMEs. Yet, this alone is a drop in the ocean. The most critical factor remains private-sector engagement and its capacity to create employment opportunities for women.
There are many layers to women’s participation. Beyond the well-known names mentioned above, there are countless others – subaltern and unsung – breaking glass ceilings across Pakistan’s provinces, contributing to the economy and the well-being of their families and communities. The state has yet to strike a balance in achieving gender equality.
We need the eyes and skillset to recognise the women who are already ahead of the game. Most importantly, Pakistan has its own unique and powerful narrative on women, one that deserves to be seen and heard.
The writer is a former member of the National Assembly and a children, women and minorities advocate. She tweets/posts Mehnazakberaziz