ISLAMABAD: Despite some progress, gender gaps, gender-based violence, and disadvantageous social norms facing women and girls persist, and gains in the human capital of women and girls remain untapped, says the World Bank.

The bank in a brief “Pakistan Gender Landscape” stated that turning human capital investments into economic gains means addressing multiple barriers to women’s economic empowerment, including improving their voice and agency.

Women, Business and the Law (WBL) 2023 presents an index covering 190 economies, structured around the life cycle of a working woman. In total, 35 questions are scored across eight indicators. Pakistan scores 59 out of 100, while the regional average across South Asia is 64, the bank added.

The brief showcases the gender landscape in Pakistan on key indicators helpful for monitoring gender equality and designing effective policy interventions. Gender equality fosters productivity gains, minimises losses in wealth, reduces poverty, boosts shared prosperity, and supports green, resilient, and inclusive development.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024