AT last year’s International Women’s Day, the UN Secretary General remarked: “Countries with more gender equality have better economic growth. Countries with more women leaders perform better. Peace agreements that include women are more durable. Parliaments with more women enact more legislation on key social issues, such as health, education, anti-discrimination and child support.” In other words, empowering women leads to better outcomes for society as a whole.

Unfortunately, in many countries women are faced with severe violations of their human rights. They are not allowed to attend school, face discrimination in access to healthcare and employment opportunities, and cannot participate in decisions that affect their lives; they are denied entitlement to land and property, face violence within their own homes and are subject to harmful traditional practices.

In Pakistan, too, women continue to suffer on various counts: socially, culturally, political and legally. Although women have substantial representation in the country’s provincial and national assemblies, and work in public and private sectors, the social structure of the country influences their role in society and family. This, in turn, hinders their participation in economic activities. Cultural barriers and lack of public transport restricts their mobility to the extent of keeping them from availing healthcare.

While a lot has been said about women’s rights in the country, not much research has been done to analyse the situation that women find themselves in and the factors responsible for them. With this in mind the Pakistan-based Social Policy and Development Centre, that aims to generate research on important questions of social policy and practice, has published a compilation of studies spotlighting public policy issues facing women.

In Search of Gendered Development is a collection of eight gender-specific studies, carried out and published between 2010-2013, that attempt to throw light on women in various aspects of development activity.

The collection deals with issues ranging from public spending on education and health to gender dimensions of trade liberalisation. Socio-economic characteristics of female-headed households, gender dimensions of rural non-farm employment, gender dimensions of development-induced displacement and resettlement and the socioeconomic impact of floods are also discussed.

Space has been provided to highlight the difference in various aspects of life in female-headed households (FHH) and male-headed households (MHH). Comparison of socio-economic characteristics between the two highlights the disadvantages that FHH face in almost all aspects of life. FHH consider inflation, unemployment, job insecurity and rising debt as major causes that impede improvement in their living standards. The findings reflect that women are often unable to exercise power even if they head the household due to the ingrained acceptance of male authority in a patriarchal society.

The collection analyses the gendered dimensions of public spending on education and health. While no particular mention of men or women is made, budgets fail to address the specific needs of women and girls. For instance, when it comes to spending on health, women’s reproductive healthcare needs tend to be greater than those of men.

In terms of education, a need for gender-sensitive policy and an increase in budget at lower levels of education to reduce gender disparity as well as additional efforts to break through the cultural barriers were highlighted.

The effects of trade liberalisation on the female labour force are also addressed. The study shows that the impact of trade liberalisation is positive for women, yet it has not influenced women’s employment as women are mostly engaged in agriculture as unpaid family helpers or in export manufacturing where they face greater job insecurity than men, one reason for which is a lack of required education.

The rural non-farm sector and the role of women therein are also explored. The non-farm sector accounts for almost 40 per cent of rural employment. Participation in non-farm work appears to enhance women’s empowerment. However, only 15 per cent of the rural female labour force is engaged in the non-farm sector. The main reasons for not engaging in non-farm work are: lack of adequate infrastructure, illiteracy, lack of vocational training and lack of financial resources. Surprisingly, few women cited cultural constraints or restrictions as barriers to enter non-farm rural income generation activity.

In Search of Gendered Development also takes a look at the general impact of urban redevelopment and resettlement projects. In this regard the Lyari Expressway, built along the banks of the Lyari River in Karachi, served as a case study. While displacement and resettlement affected both men and women, the latter felt the impact more on being uprooted from the place they had been living in for a long time and now were facing problems of employment, healthcare and mobility due to the lack of transport facilities. The study suggests that while planning development project such issues should be given consideration.

The gender impact of natural disasters is also a factor taken into account: the 2010 floods in Thatta district being a case in point. Apart from physical loss, those affected by the flood suffered illnesses and psychological trauma — women suffered more than men. However, there were some gains for women on the educational and reproductive health fronts. The gross primary enrollment for boys and girls rose significantly; perhaps tent schools in camps altered the cultural view of education, inducing parents to send their children, including girls to school. Likewise, 95 per cent of pregnant women, who had never received any professional health assistance despite having multiple children, received antenatal care.

Violence against women is rampant in our society, with women from all social strata affected by it, yet it is given little consideration. The report analyses the cost of this violence. Women not only suffer physical and mental trauma but have to incur additional expenses on seeking medical aid and legal help, and in fighting their legal case, besides the cost in terms of lost work hours.

Women-specific laws in Pakistan, especially those focusing on female workers and the protection of women are also given space in this compilation. The absence of provisions for women in labour laws, except for the provision for maternity leave, is highlighted. During 2008-12 about 30 laws relating to women’s rights and interests were enacted but mere legislation is not enough: more than that is needed to bring about a change in the way women are treated in society.

These studies reveal that women are vulnerable and subject to discrimination mostly due to traditional socio-cultural values. Policymakers often tend to leave out aspects that affect women; hence an awareness of a gendered view is necessary. It is hoped that this collection will act as a useful reference tool for advocacy and planning, programming and budgeting for gender equality and empowerment of women.

The reviewer is a Dawn staff member

In Search of Gendered Development: A Compendium

(GENDER STUDIES)

Edited by Kaiser Bengali

Social Policy and Development Centre, Karachi

ISBN 978-969-8407-16-2

298pp.