Gender divides

Pakistan is one of the four countries in the world where the largest number of women are deprived of their most basic rights. A recent UN report measures deprivation for women across 10 dimensions and notes that in 9 of these areas almost all Pakistani women fare poorly. One of the most relevant findings to emerge from this study is that 48 percent of Pakistani women have no say over their healthcare and related aspects of life. When this figure is dissected, further differences based on location and economics emerge. Women and girls in rural areas are 1.3 times more likely to report no right to decision in healthcare as compared to their urban counterparts. Of these Pakhtun and Sindhi women and girls have the least say of all while Seraiki, Punjabi and Urdu-speaking women fare somewhat better. The gap based on ethnicity is startling. In Sindh, women and girls aged between 15 and 49 are most likely to suffer malnourishment as compared to those from other parts of the country. More than 98 percent of women from the poorest rural households across the country are defined as being ‘education poor’ or having completed six years of education or less.

While these findings are not particularly surprising, they do indicate the extent to which wealth and location determine the kind of life a woman will lead. The report makes it quite obvious that Pakistan needs to do a great deal to balance out the vast gender gap it continues to face, affecting 4.9 million women and girls in the country. In its recommendations, the UN suggests that a key means to moving towards the 2030 agenda would be to focus on affordable and quality childhood education and care as a strategy that could help women achieve the targets laid out. The discrepancies we see in terms of differences based on ethnicity and background are also disturbing. We need to create an environment where women everywhere in the country can begin life on a more even playing field. Pakistan’s policymakers need to consider why they have faltered so badly in keeping up with commitments. A country where half the population is denied the most basic rights will always struggle to move ahead. The problem has a personal impact on the life of women and a collective impact on the life of a nation. This is something that requires thinking by all stakeholders so that Pakistan can move off the list of nations that are least able to care for their women and girls.