Gender inequality

SOME alarming statistics need urgent focus and attention. Pakistan ranks among the lowest — 148th in the world — in gender equality according to the Global Gender Gap Index 2025. Only 23 per cent of women in Pakistan participate in the workforce, compared to 81pc of men. Pay inequality hovers around 18pc. Women hold less than 21pc seats in parliament. This list could go on, with each statistic more terrifying than the preceding ones. Over 13 million girls aged between five and 16 are out of school.

Statistics aside, there is much damage and debris to sweep up, after decades of ignoring women’s basic rights in Pakistan and men’s roles and responsibilities. Apathy grows out of haplessness — ignoring problems in the hope that they will go away. Problems don’t disappear magically. In fact, they grow exponentially to have ripple effects through every structure, every layer and every echelon of the social, economic, political and moral fabric of the country.

We have plenty of conversations; we know what is to be done. We have tracked the success of nations that have, since 1911, made collective efforts to take steps towards justice, dignity and moral and legal rights of women. Their efforts have not yielded perfect results but they are far ahead of the curve than us. They have found ways to enable women’s voice and agency, shifting cultural norms to pave the way for decision-making, leadership and visibility for women in society. In parts of Pakistan, we would be hard-pressed to find women visible on the roads, let alone in leadership positions.

For decades, women have been taught to stay small.

A country that cannot guarantee safety of women as they step out into public life cannot hope for meaningful action geared towards growth and progress. For decades, women have been taught to stay small, stay self-contained, stay mute until spoken to. One would hope this could be regarded as a gross generalisation but, sadly, these are the rules of social engagement across households, schools, communities and workspaces.

For us to overturn those terrifying statistics that surface year after year, we would have to address gender inequality as an economic imperative, not merely a justice issue. The fact is we need women in decision-making, leadership positions — we need them to run schools and universities, we need to see them spearheading public movements, speaking more in parliament.

Even in the 21st century in Pakistan, all that sounds like a pipe dream. While other countries are sending women into space, many Pakistani women do not have the freedom to venture out to work, with most facing barriers to professional work due to household demands or family norms stigmatising it. Gender roles are strictly divided through childhood. In fact, even before that when the two genders are split into pink and blue at birth.

Many of the dismal statistics stem from family values that have dwarfed progress in the name of protection and dignity for women. Girls are often told that they must drop out of school after primary for their own safety. They must marry within their communities for their own protection and they must stay away from male-dominated workplaces where they may have to contend with harassment. The result of these unnecessary guardrails has been a clear segregation between the genders where men and women have not learnt to work collaboratively or engage in constructive conversation. It all starts from school where interaction between the genders is limited and awkward at best, and carries through adulthood where there is little interaction unless necessary.

Yet, in this awkward world of mutated gender connections, jokes about women and wives abound. Social me­­dia is wrought with memes that find their way into dra­wing room hum­our — humour that becomes a tool to mask very serious issues, humour that often exposes regressive mindsets. Celebrating Women’s Day last month, the world focused on the theme for this year — ‘Give to Gain’. Social media can be a powerful tool to promote this theme. It can paradoxically be a dangerous tool if it’s used to normalise actions and thoughts that are detrimental to societal uplift.

‘Give to Gain’ can have massive large-scale benefits if it’s applied across all walks of life. When women are given opportunities, everyone stands to gain — generations benefit, poverty levels reduce, mindsets start shifting and economies get a boost. When societies invest in women’s health and education, when social rules of engagement involve women in conversations about innovation, creative ideas are produced, potential unlocked and society awakens to new possibilities of growth. n

The writer is a teacher educator, author and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. The views expressed are her own and do not reflect those of her employer.

neda.mulji@gmail.com

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Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2026

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