i INP-WEALTHPK

Barriers hinder women’s optimum participation in CPECBreaking

March 31, 2023

Ayesha Saba

China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other initiatives have thrown open a wealth of opportunities to the women workforce in Pakistan, but there are many barriers hindering their full participation. This is a significant challenge that needs to be addressed by the government and policymakers in Pakistan, said experts while talking to WealthPK. Dr. Aliya H. Khan, a leading economist and ex-dean of Social Sciences at the Quaid-e-Azam University told WealthPK, “CPEC can provide ample opportunities for the local population to be absorbed in the labour workforce if accurate measures are taken.”

She pointed out that the SEZs under CPEC will require both skilled and semi-skilled labour. In developing countries, women constitute more than 50% and in some cases 90% of employment in SEZs. This high level of female employment and the important role of SEZs in developing a country’s exports means that the export-oriented process in the past three decades has been a gendered one. Therefore, the high degree of feminization in the SEZs is unique to the recent era of export-oriented industrialization,” she said.

“Traditionally, Pakistan had a low rate of female labour force participation, with only 22% of women aged 15 and above being employed,” said Dr Aliya. She said, “One of the main barriers to female workforce participation in Pakistan is the lack of access to education and training. Many women are not able to access education beyond the primary level due to social and cultural barriers, which limits their ability to acquire skills and knowledge needed to enter the workforce. This is particularly true in rural areas, where access to education and training is limited.”

Talking to WealthPK, economic policy analyst and gender specialist at the UNDP Maheen Rashid said, “Women’s integration in the economic spheres of life is very important for Pakistan. You cannot live up to the full potential of a country if 50% of your population is not contributing to the economy.”

“Primarily an agrarian economy, Pakistan has a large proportion of its labour force employed in the informal or casual labour sector. This is especially true for women, who are more likely to be employed in the informal sector, working in agriculture, livestock, textiles, and home-based activities,’’ she said.

“The potential of CPEC to increase female employment is immense. Construction of power plants and highways, development of new industries and establishment of industrial zones will create many job opportunities for women in Pakistan,” she added. She said the benefits associated with CPEC are numerous but women can benefit the most from vocational training programs being developed under this initiative.

“These programs are aimed at providing skills training to women who wish to enter the labour market or upgrade their existing skills so they can find better jobs with higher pay scales than before.” “If the effort continues in this way and the policymakers realize the importance of women entering the mainstream workforce, there is no doubt that in a few years we will witness a significant LFP (labour force participation) improvement among the women in Pakistan,’’ said the UNDP official.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk