Women constitute half of the
country’s 190 million populace representing a big chunk of labour force that are
adequate for development and socio-economic growth but their vitality and latent
potential has never been realized in the 66 years since independence despite
having surpassed and competed their male counterpart in every field of life.
Unlike the past, women play a crucial role in severing the nation with
enthusiasm and commitment by their numerous contribution as a mankind besides
their contribution as an engineer, doctor, journalist, pilot, professor and
social worker. Despite all this, they need further emancipation so as to play a
much greater role in the socio-economic growth of the country.
The employment rate of female in Pakistan is the lowest in the world that stood
at 4.3 per cent and its estimated that the rural women spend 14 to 16 hours in
the farming and agriculture activities.
The labour force of any country has an essential role in the uplift of the
socio-economic growth having the capacity of reducing poverty and creating more
employments. While in contrast, a huge chunk of the population have been kept
paralyzed and idle of performing any job which could share the burden of the
male population. For instance, in 2003-4, the growth rate of women participation
was 15.9 per cent that has gone up to 18.9 per cent during 2005-06 which is
scanty as compared to the rest of South Asian countries.
Nearly 65% of the female doctors do not do jobs after their marriages, 80% of
business graduates sit at home after marriages, not even 10 % of the educated
women are enterprenuers and running their own business on their own, their scope
of jobs is always limited to teaching, customer care, call centres, designing,
training and fashion.
Being an agricultural country, that cater 44 per cent of the country’s
employment as well as helping the economy, the role of female part of the
society has not given any heed even by the government or the private sector but
instead the Pakistani patriarchal society has kept them under their grip so that
they could not share or contribute in the development of the country. It is the
largest sector of economy that contribute 23 % to GDP by engaging 42 % of labour
force by 2004.
Like majority of South Asian countries reside in the countryside, about 70 per
cent our population dwell in rural areas who directly or indirectly linked with
the agriculture, which is the largest sector of the country economic growth.
While the rural women have outnumbered the male section of the society as they
contribute at least 66 per cent in the development of the country.
Women have a great skill in harnessing their household work besides contributing
much to the economy in the form of labour by working in agriculture sector in
the countryside but unfortunately they have been deprived of education which
hampered them from achieving anything worthy in this sector which is obvious
from the fact that the unemployment rate of women in Pakistan is lower than the
male . A number of hurdles shrinking women’s role in the economy include;
ignorance of opportunity, lack of mobility, inadequate recognition and societal
perception of women as lower status.
In order to grow as an economically self-sufficient nation, a comprehensive
strategy must be followed so as to eliminate the disparity between the male and
female that existed for a long time while treating both of them in a impartial
and unbiased fashion. It is universally acknowledged that no nation can be
successful without the support and help of their female populace in various
fields of the country such as education, Health care, Small and medium
enterprises, Textiles, Banking, Fashion, Electronic and print media.
Pakistan is among the worst five countries of the world who has meager economic
participation while for women, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan comes out as one
of the worst country to live in; only two other countries worse off than
Pakistan— Yemen and Chad. For instance, in economic participation, Pakistani
women ranked 126 out of 128 in the world that also stood at 123 out of 128 in
educational attainment, 121 out of 128 in Health and 43 out of 128 in Political
empowerment.
The male-chauvinist society that have no good feeling and any regard for the
opposite gender whom they have considered housewives, slaves and under their
domination and deprived of social life while almost cutting them off from
mainstream life. Despite that women have excelled in every walk of life, they
have even surpassed the male society.
Discrimination and social prejudice must be ended if the country has to
progress. They needed to give equality to both the male and female in every walk
of life ranging from decision making to performing business. Peculiarly enough,
today, the patriarchal society have forgotten the role played by, Hazrat Khadija
the first wife of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(P.b.u.h) in business whose work were
not even opposed by the Holy Prophet Muhammad(P.b.u.h) himself but instead He
further encouraged her as a business-women. One the other hand, the male society
will not allow his life partner to earn equally as he earn taking them back into
the medieval ages.
Our founding father, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinah has once said in his
speech, ‘no nation can make any progress without the co-operation of its women.
If Muslim women support their men, as they did in the day of the Prophet of
Islam they can achieve a great success in every walk of life. No nation is
capable of remaining a strong nation, unless its men and women struggle together
for the achievement of its goals.
The resources of our country are rapidly being depleted with every passing
moment due to excessive utilization and majority of women populace, a big chunk
of labour force, who can contribute considerably in the socio-economic growth of
the country but their potential has not been harnessed. It is a fact that a very
tough time await the country in the foreseeable future if both the men and women
do not work together they would not be able to survive.
HaVe yOur SAy at [email protected]