Paving the way to achieve Equity

women

We happen to live in a country where the idea of being financially independent is something that requires ample conditioning among the masses, especially when it comes to women. In our society, women are taught to be responsible for everything at home from a very young age. With minds as impressionable as theirs, what we fail to teach them is how they are responsible for their own life before anything else. We don’t tell them how they are responsible for dreaming and fulfilling those dreams. In most cases, this journey of fulfilment is driven by need rather than passion and ambition.

Women’s Day just went by and the global campaign theme was ‘Embracing Equity’. While the day may have passed, but what remained with us was the fact that now we have beautifully moved past equality and are moving towards equity. Equality means that each individual or a group of people are given the same resources or opportunities. Equity on the other hand recognises that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach a desired outcome. Looking at Pakistan, I believe equity is dominating Pakistan’s e-commerce landscape.

Women in Pakistan are increasingly participating in e-commerce, both as consumers and as sellers, vendors or as partners. E-commerce companies in Pakistan such as Daraz, FoodPanda, and Careem have fully empowered the female segment of their user, as well as seller base. We see female captains accepting our rides dropping us from place to place - a sight that was once seldom. We also see female riders delivering food at times made by female home chefs and several female-led businesses that have boomed all across online shopping platforms.

There are a number of successful women-led e-commerce businesses in Pakistan; with a mix of renowned brands and small-scale vendors. Nevertheless, the financial inclusion that has resulted for both segments is nothing short of remarkable. The burgeoning e-commerce market in Pakistan presents a significant opportunity to bolster women’s economic empowerment, enabling them to exercise greater autonomy over their lives and elevate their socio-economic status.

Qurat Ul Ain Hasan is an example of a strong courageous woman who challenged her boundaries to become self-sufficient. After being diagnosed with a brain tumour, she could not work a traditional job to cover her expenses. But this didn’t stop her and she decided to set up her own business on the largest e-commerce platform in Pakistan and worked diligently to grow it. Her small-scale business in the fashion category earned her PKR 1 million in 70 days. Following the success of her business, with the right platform that gave her the opportunity, she now runs online courses to help other sellers on their journeys.

Dejected by her husband’s business ending abruptly; Husna Javed decided to explore other means of earning, which is when she found out about an online platform. Together with her daughter, she registered and created an account for her clothing business and it changed her life for the better. Soon orders started coming in and that is when her husband found out about her online business. Today, he proudly tells everyone how his wife and daughter stood by him in testing times and how online platforms have given hope to countless other families that have been impacted by the economic crunch.

Women today, are boldly seizing the opportunity in diverse fields of activity to contribute to the socio-economic growth of the country while establishing sustainable revenue streams for themselves and achieving financial empowerment. E-commerce has given them opportunities that are tailor-made to fulfil their specific needs resulting in equitable outcomes for all.

Talking about equitable outcomes, Nazish Nasir pursued her passion for recycling by turning around kitchen and home décor items and selling them via wholesalers. Given the size of the limited market, Nazish decided to transition online and discovered an online platform. With her unique offerings, she now takes orders from all across Pakistan including farfetched areas such as Chitral, Quetta, and Azad Kashmir.

Another success story emerging from the e-commerce sector is that of Aiman Farhan who helped her husband take his hardware store online during COVID-19. The survival journey gave their business a 360-degree shift when they were able to reach customers nationwide. Aiman honed her skills further by learning about the products she sells from her husband and taking online courses through Daraz University, an educational medium for entrepreneurs.

The genuine measure of success for any organisation or e-commerce platform lies in its recognition that sustainable and positive change can only be achieved by investing in programmes that benefit not only women within the organisation but also women in the broader society. By creating opportunities for self-empowerment and financial stability, such initiatives can enhance the overall wellbeing of women and promote gender equality.

E-commerce platforms have enabled and empowered thousands of women across Pakistan, allowing them to participate in the journey toward achieving gender equity. Through such platforms, women can access new markets and expand their businesses, thereby enhancing their economic and social standing proving that they are economic contributors to society rather than economic dependents.

The writer is a corporate communication professional.