ISLAMABAD: The process of formulating inclusive and gender-sensitive labour policies needs to be expedited to increase the participation of women in the labour force, speakers said at a seminar on Wednesday.

They noted that several years after devolution, provinces still do not have comprehensive labour policies, and called for political engagement to bridge the legislative gap at the provincial level and help legislatures draft bills in this regard.

The seminar, titled ‘Women’s Labor Market Participation and Childcare: Reforms for Labor Market Policy Effectiveness’, was organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

SDPI Joint Executive Director Dr Vaqar Ahmed said that Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh have yet to draft their respective labour policies.

Speakers suggest paid parental leave, shared responsibilities of care, daycare facilities to increase women’s participation in labour force

“After the 18th constitutional amendment, it is now the responsibility of provincial governments to formulate and implement inclusive labour policies,” he said.

He added that provincial governments also need to ensure their compliance with labour rights laws as per the requirements of the GSP Plus facility provided by the European Union for duty-free exports to European countries.

Dr Ahmed said that the global gender gap index in 2017 placed Pakistan at 143 out of 144 countries, which calls for immediate action to formulate gender-sensitive labour policies to increase the participation of women.

While giving a presentation of the seminar topic, H. Elizabeth Peters, an institute fellow at the Urban Institute Centre on Labour, Human Services and Population, said there is no paid parental leave for mothers in the United States, which has resulted in a significant reduction in household income for families, particularly single mothers living alone.

She said childcare support and benefits were not too promising; childcare costs have increased over the last few years, becoming unaffordable for working parents.

Ms Peters suggested increasing access to paid leave, increasing the participation of fathers, the right duration of leave and daycare facilitation to help increase the number of women in the workforce.

Samar Hassan, a social entrepreneur, said: “A more responsive policy intervention at national and sub-national levels can improve the outcomes and quality of life of children and families, besides improving the productivity of women workforce in wages and self-employment.”

SDPI Project Coordinator Ahad Nazir said only 1pc of women have been reported as entrepreneurs in the World Bank Group’s Pakistan Development Update – Fall 2017. He said major challenges for women entrepreneurs include conflict between work and family, and financial insecurity.

He said these challenges could be addressed through effective and operational single windows at federal and provincial public interaction offices, the incentivised inclusion of women entrepreneurs in public procurement and the promotion of shared responsibilities of care.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2018