Scrutiny of Women Empowerment in Pakistan

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June 5, 2022

Scrutiny of Women Empowerment:

Despite UN Resolution 1325, which overemphasizes gender equality and women’s empowerment, it has always been a contentious subject in global nations’ complex socio-demographic and cultural milieu. According to certain research, Pakistani women rank lower than men across the board when it comes to key human development metrics. Is it, however, a myth or a reality? Let’s start with a definition of women’s empowerment. Women’s empowerment is defined as fostering women’s self-esteem, their ability to make their own decisions, and their right to affect societal change for themselves and others.

Women’s empowerment can be measured on numerous levels, including psychological, communal, organizational, economic, social, and cultural empowerment. Is it only Pakistan that struggles with the challenges of women’s empowerment based on this description, or are other countries in the same boat?

According to the World Power Index 2021 study, Costa Rica is ranked first among the top ten countries for female representation in parliament, according to the World Power Index 2021 study, followed by Rwanda, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Nicaragua, Andorra, Norway, Mexico, and New Zealand.

“Scrutiny of Women Empowerment in Pakistan”

Except for New Zealand, there isn’t a single powerful country that makes a big deal about women’s empowerment. The United Kingdom is ranked 39th, with 33.8 percent female representation in Parliament; Australia is ranked 50th, with 31.1 percent; Canada is ranked 52nd, with 29.6%; the United States is ranked 67th, with 27.3 percent; Israel is ranked 71st, with 26.7 percent; China is ranked 86th, with 24.9 percent; Pakistan is ranked 116th, with 20.2 percent; and India is ranked 148th, with 14.4%. If we look at the situation of women’s empowerment in Pakistan, we can see that the literacy rate in Pakistan was 62.3 percent in 2020, with female literacy at 47 percent. The Pakistani government runs the Ehsaas and Benazir Income Support Programs, which give 70% of financial aid to women solely.

Sharmeen Obaid Chenoy, who won an Oscar for her special documentary film, Bilquis Edhi — Pakistan’s longest-serving Pakistani Ambassador in the UK, US, and UN; All of these outstanding Pakistani women are shattering stereotypes in fields ranging from politics to education, sports to music, culture to flying planes, and medicine to every walk of life, but they still receive little global recognition! Despite their outstanding achievements, they are simply swept under the rug.

I believe, served as a role model for all other Pakistani women to go up and prove their worth. When I looked into the Pakistani Parliament, I discovered that there are currently 88 women in it. They now account for 20% of the total seats. According to Article 59 of the Pakistani Constitution, the Senate must include at least 17 women members, but in 2021, Pakistan will have 18 women senators.

The Federal Secretariat employs 1,246 women in a bureaucracy with a passing rate of under 2%.In the year 2021, around 18,553 people took the CSS exam, with only 2% passing. This brings the total to 376. There were 226 males and 138 girls among the 376 candidates who passed.

This accounts for 38% of the total pass rate. The final results show that 221 candidates were selected as civil servants, with 79 of them being females, accounting for 36% of the total number of candidates appointed.

In the realm of peacekeeping operations, Pakistani women do not lag behind their male counterparts. From 2016 to 2021, the number of Pakistani female peacekeepers is expected to increase. The female participation rate in 2021 is expected to be approximately 48 percent, which is the highest it has ever been.

The question is whether these figures are sufficient to ensure women’s empowerment. The answer is a resounding “NO.” Despite an increase in the number of women at the highest levels of political authority, pervasive gender inequities persist, according to the UN Women in Politics report 2021.

The percentage of women with ministerial responsibilities has slowed, rising from 21.3 percent in 2020 to 21.9 percent in 2021.

It would be prejudiced and unjust to call Pakistan a low-ranking country without considering what prominent women in Pakistan have accomplished so far. The crucial thing at this point is that, like in all other countries, the trajectory of women’s advancement is good and forward-looking.

Women now account for only 25% of national legislators, down from 24.5 percent a year ago, as the number of countries with no women in government rises. So, what could be the reasons behind women’s underrepresentation in politics? According to research, women’s exclusion from politics is due to social, cultural, and personal factors rather than political ones.

Conclusion:

Their socio-cultural traditions prevent women from obtaining empowerment through employment in the government and other non-governmental organizations. As a result, it is not incorrect to state that women’s empowerment is a work in progress, just as it is in other countries throughout the world, where Kamala Harris has become the first US Vice-President since the country’s independence. Scrutiny of Women Empowerment in Pakistan is done by the author.

But credit must go to all those determined women and young girls who not only battle for their rights but also fight to the end to achieve their bigger goals of women’s empowerment! Given the circumstances that Pakistan has faced over the last many decades, it appears that Pakistan performs far better in terms of women’s empowerment and establishing a gender-balanced approach. Pakistan should keep up the good work.

This article is written by Muhammad Tahir, a student of International Relations at the National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad.