Women seem to be ruling the
world at the moment. I like the phrase “women are agents of change” never a
truer word spoken. Women do seem to be more dedicated to business than men and
thats a fact. The business area is changing and I am sure it has to do with rise
of the woman. In too many places women and girls still tend to eat last and
least, and to learn and earn less. In some instances, longstanding traditions or
beliefs, often reinforced through legal or religious systems that limit a
woman’s role in private and public life, lead to these outcomes. In others,
women lack economic opportunities or the skills and confidence needed to pursue
them.Women are generally perceived as home makers with little to do with economy
or commerce. But this picture is changing. While circumstances vary markedly
among countries and markets, there are far too many cases of marginalization and
lost potential.We should note that this white paper focuses on the economic
empowerment of women.
The major economic, security,
governance, and environmental challenges of our time cannot be solved without
the participation of women at all levels of society. Empowering women is one of
the most effective and positive forces for improving conditions around the
globe. Indeed, no country can prosper if half its people are left behind. We
didn’t need the crisis to remind us of the profound importance of investing in
women.
This was true long before the crisis began. But the downturn is an emergency for
women because they are often the first to suffer when economies crumble. Girls
are pulled out of school to lend a hand at finding more money for the household;
women lose their jobs and incomes as demand for exports falls away; and mothers
can no longer find credit through microfinance institutions and are pushed into
subsistence work to make ends meet.
Even as women are receiving education, they face the prospect of unemployment.
In this background, self employment is regarded as a cure to generate income
.The Planning commission as well as the Pakistani government recognizes the need
for women to be part of the mainstream of economic development. Women
entrepreneurship is seen as an effective strategy to solve the problems of rural
and urban poverty.
In Pakistan, the contemporary image of women in the media is one that is
filtered through a number of prisms. Women are rarely portrayed as strong
political or economic actors, and mainstream media tends to promote negative
stereotypes of women. But some Pakistani women are emerging to challenge the way
they are covered in the media, believing that this directly impacts how they are
treated in society.
Traditionally, women in pakistan have been generally found in low productive
sectors such as agriculture and household activities. Women entrepreneurs in
Pakistan are handicapped in the matter of organizing and running businesses on
account of their generally low levels of skills and for want of support system.
The transition from homemaker to sophisticated business woman is not that easy.
But the trend is changing. Women across Pakistan are showing an interest to be
economically independent. Women are coming forth to the business arena with
ideas to start small and medium enterprises. They are willing to be inspired by
role models- the experience of other women in the business arena.
The role of women entrepreneurs is especially relevant in the situation of large
scale unemployment that the country faces. The modern large scale industry
cannot absorb much of labour as it is capital intensive. The small scale
industry plays an important role absorbing around 80% of the employment.
The myth that women cannot engage in productive employment needs to be
dispelled. They can be encouraged to set up small and medium scale industries on
their own initiative. Entrepreneurship development for women is an important
factor in economic development of pakistan..
Following problems are faced by women entrepreneurs:
1. Lack of family support- Sometimes the family may make the women feel guilty
of neglecting household duties in her pursuit of business obligations. Cultural
traditions may hold back a woman from venturing into her own business.
2. Lack of capital-traditional sources of finance like banks are reluctant to
lend to women entrepreneurs especially if they do not have any male or family
backing. This is especially true of lower income females. Women do not have
adequate finance or legal knowledge to start an enterprise.
3. Lack of confidence and faith-lack of role models undermines the self
confidence of women entrepreneurs. The activity of selling is considered
abhorrent to the female gender.
4. Lack of right public/ private institutions: Most public and private
incentives are misused and do not reach the woman unless she is backed by a man.
Also many trade associations like ministries, chambers of commerce do not cater
to women expecting women’s organizations to do the necessary thing.
The government must evolve appropriate policies to help women entrepreneurs.
Networking facilities must be provided as well as adequate entrepreneurship
awareness training should be provided using the help of local NGOs. Credit
facilities must be made available and marketing help must be provided. All these
will help foster a culture of entrepreneurship among women in pakistan. One
motivation for women’s empowerment is basic fairness and decency. Young girls
should have the exact same opportunities that boys do to lead full and
productive lives. But second, the empowerment of women is smart economics. In
fact studies show that investments in women yield large social and economic
returns