Women in Pakistan were supposed to comprise 45 per cent of the workforce by 2025, as per the country’s development roadmap, Pakistan Vision 2025. However, as the deadline approaches, we have achieved not only less than half the target but are well below the global average. Of the women who work, the National Commission on the Status of Women reports that 70pc of them have vulnerable jobs, which are characterised by low earnings, unsafe conditions, and job insecurity.

Clearly, most working women are still facing tremendous difficulty entering the formal economy, where organisations provide relatively stable and dignified employment, contributing to the shortfall in our country’s Vision 2025.

Changing business norms brought some positive developments to Pakistan’s corporate sector, resulting in women’s greater access to better jobs and career development. In a report published by the Pakistan Business Council, top local organisations have implemented various gender-focused business actions, strategies, and policies — some more widely available, such as parental leaves and anti-harassment protocols, with others gaining traction, like mental health support and flexible working. However, not every business has the resources or the incentive to take such measures, leading to massive variations in work environments.

This juncture requires the equalising force of the law, which not only sets the standards for responsible business conduct but commands greater influence on practical barriers that leave women out of the workplace.

A massive gap exists between formal businesses and most working women who populate the informal sector with vulnerable jobs and low income

Unless these provisions are publicly accessible, only women from upper-income households are able to afford private arrangements for their children’s care, find transport to work, and hire help with chores.

Not all businesses can subsidise their employees’ commute or maintain caregiving facilities. Many women thus leave their jobs in favour of freelance work or teaching, which offers greater flexibility and cost-cutting. But, they lose opportunities in their preferred careers, while the larger economy loses qualified talent.

Private solution providers have attempted to fill the infrastructural gaps, but their prices are unaffordable to many. Service fees for ridesharing apps and daycare centres keep rising due to Pakistan’s inflation woes and the depreciating rupee, as well as keeping new players from entering the market, thus making pricing less competitive. Hence, the potential gains in earnings, especially for middle-income households, are offset by such costs, in addition to de-incentivising employers from hiring female employees.

Lawmakers, who command greater influence on practical barriers that leave women out of the workplace, must break this cycle of disempowerment and promote social mobility

However, this can be a new avenue for lawmakers to benefit women along with the overall public. For example, Pakistan’s current heavy-handed tax regime can be eased for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which will not only support better quality of services but also encourage more female-led businesses that would be more likely to address women’s needs. The government can also utilise public-private partnerships to deliver crucial services at steady prices while minimising supply-side disruptions.

Lawmakers must also build capacity for female workers as part of their development goals for the country. Currently, a massive bridge exists between formal businesses and the majority of Pakistan’s working women who, as mentioned earlier, populate the informal sector. They need greater opportunities to develop a more complex skillset encompassing interpersonal communication, digital literacy, and command over Pakistan’s working languages, Urdu and English. Because of the financial conditions of their households, women in this sector absolutely have to work, making them settle for hazardous working conditions and poor financial compensation.

Urgent and thoughtful attention is required to break this cycle of disempowerment and promote more social mobility in Pakistan, which was ranked near the bottom by the World Economic Forum. Hence, while business leadership has its role in gender-equal workplaces, policymakers and regulators must take charge of creating a dynamic, progressive and inclusive economy.

Start by approaching the provision of public resources through a gender lens, such as developing infrastructure, educational institutions, and caregiving facilities, as well as enhancing supply chains with local SMEs. Especially progressive organisations can be awarded tax rebates for incorporating women-owned suppliers providing childcare benefits to their employees, and other similar strategies.

The roadmap to gender equality needs interconnected institutions so that we do not end up, once again, with a patchwork system in which both good intentions and good actions do not see their full potential.

The writer is the programme manager of the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business, Pakistan Business Council

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, October 7th, 2024