Empowering women still a challenge in Pakistan
Description:
- Empowering women involves granting them tools, opportunities, and autonomy.
- It is essential for rectifying historical discrimination and ensuring fairness.
- Economic empowerment through education and entrepreneurship is crucial.
- Education plays a pivotal role in women's empowerment.
Women’s empowerment in Pakistan heavily depends on many variables including geographical location (urban/rural), educational status, social status, and age. Working women of Pakistan have always tried to improve the financial stability of their respective households but sadly their work is always undervalued. Empowering socially, economically, educationally, politically, and legally has always been difficult in an underdeveloped country. Therefore, Pakistani policymakers should specifically make policies on women’s empowerment at the national level for health, education, economic opportunities, gender-based violence, and political participation.
Pakistan’s women's development model is very much a work in progress where deep-rooted challenges remain. The World Economic Forum has placed Pakistan as the second worst country on gender equality in its 2017 Global Gender Gap Index. The index placed Pakistan 143rd out of 144 countries, the worst in South Asia. Bangladesh, ranked at 47, is the only country in the region to have made the top 50 whereas India is at 108 after dropping 21 notches compared to its previous position. The Maldives ranked 106, Sri Lanka 109, Nepal 111 and Bhutan 143.
Women’s empowerment is a complex process having multiple dimensions which are economic, social, cultural, and political. Three important areas need to be changed for women’s economic empowerment — women’s right to choose how they want to pursue their livelihoods, making opportunities available for women, and giving women the space to voice themselves. These changes will lead them to explore their full potential. Women can equally participate and excel in both the traditional and non-traditional sectors in Pakistan. There is a need for social awareness at household and community levels, to encourage the involvement of men in household care work and garner support for women’s participation in markets.
How to empower a woman?
Here are seven impactful ways you can contribute to empowering women and girls for lasting change.
- Ensuring clean water access for better lives. ...
- Supporting girls and women in crisis. ...
- Mentoring for local impact. ...
- Empowering female entrepreneurs. ...
- Advocating for education. ...
- Help new moms with healthy starts.
