Pakistan 145th out of 146 in gender equality

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ranked 145th out of 146 countries in the global list of gender equality.

According to the World Economic Forum, only Sudan is below Pakistan in the list. Bangladesh is 99th, while India is ranked 129th.

Despite being almost half of country’s population, Pakistani women are more vulnerable to gender and economic discrimination.

According to the Gender Gap Report, rate of women participation in economic activities in Pakistan is only 36pc. Pakistani women’s participation in labour force is also low, as only 23pc is part of workforce. More than 40 million women are out of labour force.

Sixty-eight percent of employed women in Pakistan are associated with agricultural sector. Seventy-six percent are engaged in unpaid family support. This rate is 24pc for men.

The World Bank also pointed out the wage and opportunity gap between men and women in Pakistan. Pakistani women are paid 18pc less than men — that is where men get Rs1,000 for a job, women are paid only Rs818.

Women also have a lower share of professional jobs than men. At the manager level, there are 2.33pc men and 0.14pc women.