The World Bank has cautioned the government in its study released here on Thursday that gender inequality was growing in Pakistan at an alarming pace and it needed a well thought strategy to tackle this issue of serious nature.
The report mentioned, in particular, the family laws introduced by the Government of Pakistan in the 80s and termed them as a tool that adversely hit the rights of the women.
The study indicated a number of issues, which were contributing to widening the gap in gender inequality. These were limited access of female girls to schools for education, a mindset prevailing in the society that males were in nature superior to females and unavailability of basic facilities to the women.
It gave a sample study on women health care facility during pregnancy that claimed that only one-third women got proper healthcare facilities in Pakistan in 2001.
It examined economic opportunities in combination with cultural and social norms that determine outcomes for women and claimed that the current restrictions on women's movement outside the home raised concerns about their security and reputation. By fostering a safer environment, the report suggested, a positive cycle of increased female participation in the world beyond the household can be activated.
World Bank Country Director for Pakistan John Wall in his comments said that fear and social taboos restrict females access to medical care, education, opportunities for paid work, voting, and other forms of political and community participation. He claimed that a woman who needs medical care for herself or her children usually cannot travel alone to a health centre, particularly if it is outside her settlement."
John Wall recognised that easing some of these mobility constraints would require fundamental cultural shifts, which could only happen over time.
A logical first step, the report suggested for improvement in gender equality, is that the government should take all possible measures to ensure that female enrolments in schools was on the rise. He said schooling alone would unleash a process driven by women's demand for greater opportunities and involvement in the public sphere.
The report claimed that only 46 percent of the primary school-aged girls were enrolled in primary schools in 2001-02. In comparison, Bangladesh had in 2001 a primary school enrolment ratio of 97.5 percent that not just far exceeds the outcomes in India and Pakistan, but also with no disparity between boys and girls. Significant attention should also be given to the women's disadvantages in family law and inheritance, health outcomes, and labour force participation.
The study added that women's participation in the national workforce has witnessed a steady improvement in Pakistan over the years, but it still needed much to do to reach to a level of other regional countries.
It noted that child health indicators such as immunisation rates and infant mortality have improved for both girls and boys and fertility rate was declining, leading to better health for women. The report said that women participation in paid labour has increased, particularly in agriculture, and their involvement in the political process has risen.
The report identified two dimensions in which policies must address gender gaps in order to meet Pakistan's development goals. First, because of cultural constraints, policies require near-term initiatives that work around these constraints and focus on increasing female acquisition of basic services and opportunities.
The report noted that short-term initiatives included increase in funding of government programmes such as the Lady Health Workers (LHW) programme and stipends to increase girls' school attendance that have successfully increased access on a small scale. It claimed that improvement in gender equality would endure only to the degree that formal institutions reinforce them and society accepts them. The report suggested incorporation of long-term measures to create an environment that enables reduction in gender gaps.
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr Akram Shaikh said that the government was taking a number of steps to reduce gender inequality gap. He mentioned rising trend of girls in schools enrolment as a big factor and hoped that it would help Pakistan in bringing a change to deliver good in social culture.
He said the government was making major changes in basic school system by introducing coeducation in all the primary schools across the country, including Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and other comparatively less developed areas.
He appreciated the role of civil society organisations in creating awareness among women about their importance and role in the country's development and progress and hoped that they would keep on playing the same role in future for reducing gender gap in Pakistan.
Comments
Comments are closed.