Persistent inequality

LAHORE: Women the world over are treated unequally compared with men, but the type of abuse they go through in countries like Pakistan is disgusting.

Every year, the plight of women in Pakistan is discussed and highlighted at all levels on World Women's Day. After the event passes, the exploitation of women continues unabated. The women in rural regions have no voice; they live under the thumb of the men in the family.

They are unpaid workers in agriculture, dairy farming, and household chores. In urban regions, some women do get decent jobs like teachers, nurses, bankers, or in industry. However, they are not more than 10 percent of the total women population in any city.

Most women in urban areas work as maids for the affluent families of the area at wages lower than the minimum wage. This wage they earn after working in three to four houses for 12-14 hours. The maids include minor girls who live 24/7 with well-to-do families where they are at the mercy of the residents.

Every few days, media reports about the maltreatment or severe injury caused to these girls by the influential families. Many cases of abuse go unnoticed as the media is not informed nor involved. These working women often face the challenge of knowing when and why to say 'yes' or 'no.'

These women, in particular, and women in general, enjoy barely one-third of the necessary legal protections against domestic violence, sexual harassment, and femicide. For women working in offices and factories, inadequate access to childcare services is another issue. It is illegal under Pakistani law to hire a minor as a housemaid. But no one dares to implement this law. In fact, many proponents of women's rights have minors working in their houses.

Although laws on the books imply that women enjoy the same rights as men, in practice the poor are denied any legal rights, and the largest number of poor in Pakistan are women. It has been proved in Bangladesh that removing gender barriers unlocks economic productivity, reduces poverty, and deepens social cohesion.

The Bangladeshis invested in their women and have achieved the highest gender equality in the region. The empowered women have been instrumental in building a stronger, more resilient, and sustainable economy of the country.

Even developed economies still discriminate against women. For example, 98 economies have enacted legislation mandating equal pay for women for work of equal value; but only 35 economies – fewer than one out of every five – have adopted pay-transparency measures or enforcement mechanisms to address the pay gap.

Gender equality is both a fundamental human right and a powerful engine of economic development. Again, it is not enough merely to pursue equality in the laws on the books. What we need are comprehensive sets of policies and institutions.

Well-done studies of the workforce indicate that challenges exist and will probably continue to for some time. According to the UN, at the current pace, it will take 130 years to reach a level where women would get their full rights.

We discuss not giving your power away. Acknowledge the challenge but don’t let emotions cause distractions. When they are not discriminated against, women focus on maintaining their high performance. They would not shy away from challenging jobs and would not let others dictate what will happen to them in the work environment. This dream situation is four generations away.