Arsalan Ali

Making up half of the country’s population, women need a supportive environment with an effective legislation to increase their role in the formal sector from the current 20 percent to promote growth and increase productivity in different sectors of economy, reports WealthPK. Presently, more than half of Pakistani women are engaged in the agriculture sector as well as in the unpaid and unrecognized work.

Talking to WealthPK, Dr Neelum Nigar, Director of Centre for Strategic Perspective (CSP) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, said women’s contribution to the economic sector should be encouraged.

“This is only possible through a supportive environment along with effective laws and legislation so that they are able to contribute positively to the country’s development,” she said.

Asked how women could contribute to the country’s economic development, Neelum said women could provide their services in the industrial, agricultural, and services sectors for increased productivity. She said had women contributed more to the economy, the GDP of Pakistan could have gone up by 30 percent.

She said women's contribution to the economy would generate sizable revenue for the government through taxes. Furthermore, those who start their own businesses contribute towards enhancing the per capita income by creating jobs for others.

Neelam said over 50 percent of the country’s population lived in rural areas where three-fourths [of women] were engaged in agriculture. Agriculture sector contributes 22 percent of the GDP, she added.

Quoting the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics figures, she said trade deficit was recorded at $6.26 billion for the first two months of the current Fiscal Year 2022-23. She said that increased women participation in different sectors of economy could bring the exports to the desired level.

‘’If women in rural areas continue to be ignored, then we are not getting anywhere on our balance of payment,’’ she said.

‘’Pakistani women’s participation rate is less than five percent. The government should provide them with credit facilities to start their own businesses, so they can participate in economic development,’’ she added.

According to Neelum, the whole focus shifts wherever men are involved. Everything goes that way, resources go that way, and technology moves that way. Compared to 21 percent of men, only 1 percent of women are entrepreneurs, she remarked. She further said women working in the agriculture sector suffered a lot due to climate change.

Talking to WealthPK, Sadaf Dar, gender and development officer at the Rural Support Programme Network, said women working in rural areas had low literacy rate, lacked skills, and had limited access to credit, adding that it was important to boost their leadership and enable them to contribute to economic growth.

Sadaf quoted State Minister for Finance and Revenue Aisha Ghaus Pasha as saying that women’s participation should be ensured in various jobs for a stable economy, as no country could move forward unless women contribute to economic development.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk