PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network
Working Women Leading a Social Revolution in Pakistan
While Fareed Zakaria, Nick Kristoff and other talking heads are still stuck on the old stereotypes of Muslim women, the status of women in Muslim societies is rapidly changing, and there is a silent social revolution taking place with rising number of women joining the workforce and moving up the corporate ladder in Pakistan.
"More of them(women) than ever are finding employment, doing everything from pumping gasoline and serving burgers at McDonald’s to running major corporations", says a report in the latest edition of Businessweek magazine.
Beyond company or government employment, there are a number of NGOs focused on encouraging self-employment and entrepreneurship among Pakistani women by offering skills training and microfinancing. Kashf Foundation led by a woman CEO and BRAC are among such NGOs. They all report that the success and repayment rate among female borrowers is significantly higher than among male borrowers.
In rural Sindh, the PPP-led government is empowering women by granting over 212,864 acres of government-owned agriculture land to landless peasants in the province. Over half of the farm land being given is prime nehri (land irrigated by canals) farm land, and the rest being barani or rain-dependent. About 70 percent of the 5,800 beneficiaries of this gift are women. Other provincial governments, especially the Punjab government have also announced land allotment for women, for which initial surveys are underway, according to ActionAid Pakistan.
Both the public and private sectors are recruiting women in Pakistan's workplaces ranging from Pakistani military, civil service, schools, hospitals, media, advertising, retail, fashion industry, publicly traded companies, banks, technology companies, multinational corporations and NGOs, etc.
Here are some statistics and data that confirm the growth and promotion of women in Pakistan's labor pool:
1. A number of women have moved up into the executive positions, among them Unilever Foods CEO Fariyha Subhani, Engro Fertilizer CFO Naz Khan, Maheen Rahman CEO of IGI Funds and Roshaneh Zafar Founder and CEO of Kashf Foundation.
2. Women now make up 4.6% of board members of Pakistani companies, a tad lower than the 4.7% average in emerging Asia, but higher than 1% in South Korea, 4.1% in India and Indonesia, and 4.2% in Malaysia, according to a February 2011 report on women in the boardrooms.
3. Female employment at KFC in Pakistan has risen 125 percent in the past five years, according to a report in the NY Times.
4. The number of women working at McDonald’s restaurants and the supermarket behemoth Makro has quadrupled since 2006.
5. There are now women taxi drivers in Pakistan. Best known among them is Zahida Kazmi described by the BBC as "clearly a respected presence on the streets of Islamabad".
6. Several women fly helicopters and fighter jets in the military and commercial airliners in the state-owned and private airlines in Pakistan.
Here are a few excerpts from the recent Businessweek story written by Naween Mangi:
About 22 percent of Pakistani females over the age of 10 now work, up from 14 percent a decade ago, government statistics show. Women now hold 78 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly, and in July, Hina Rabbani Khar, 34, became Pakistan’s first female Foreign Minister. “The cultural norms regarding women in the workplace have changed,” says Maheen Rahman, 34, chief executive officer at IGI Funds, which manages some $400 million in assets. Rahman says she plans to keep recruiting more women for her company.
Much of the progress has come because women stay in school longer. More than 42 percent of Pakistan’s 2.6 million high school students last year were girls, up from 30 percent 18 years ago. Women made up about 22 percent of the 68,000 students in Pakistani universities in 1993; today, 47 percent of Pakistan’s 1.1 million university students are women, according to the Higher Education Commission. Half of all MBA graduates hired by Habib Bank, Pakistan’s largest lender, are now women. “Parents are realizing how much better a lifestyle a family can have if girls work,” says Sima Kamil, 54, who oversees 1,400 branches as head of retail banking at Habib. “Every branch I visit has one or two girls from conservative backgrounds,” she says.
Some companies believe hiring women gives them a competitive advantage. Habib Bank says adding female tellers has helped improve customer service at the formerly state-owned lender because the men on staff don’t want to appear rude in front of women. And makers of household products say female staffers help them better understand the needs of their customers. “The buyers for almost all our product ranges are women,” says Fariyha Subhani, 46, CEO of Unilever Pakistan Foods, where 106 of the 872 employees are women. “Having women selling those products makes sense because they themselves are the consumers,” she says.
To attract more women, Unilever last year offered some employees the option to work from home, and the company has run an on-site day-care center since 2003. Engro, which has 100 women in management positions, last year introduced flexible working hours, a day-care center, and a support group where female employees can discuss challenges they encounter. “Today there is more of a focus at companies on diversity,” says Engro Fertilizer CFO Khan, 42. The next step, she says, is ensuring that “more women can reach senior management levels.”
The gender gap in South Asia remains wide, and women in Pakistan still face significant obstacles. But there is now a critical mass of working women at all levels showing the way to other Pakistani women.
I strongly believe that working women have a very positive and transformational impact on society by having fewer children, and by investing more time, money and energies for better nutrition, education and health care of their children. They spend 97 percent of their income and savings on their families, more than twice as much as men who spend only 40 percent on their families, according to Zainab Salbi, Founder, Women for Women International, who recently appeared on CNN's GPS with Fareed Zakaria.
Here's an interesting video titled "Redefining Identity" about Pakistan's young technologists, including women, posted by Lahore-based 5 Rivers Technologies:
Related Links:
Haq's Musings
Status of Women in Pakistan
Microfinancing in Pakistan
Gender Gap Worst in South Asia
Status of Women in India
Female Literacy Lags in South Asia
Land For Landless Women
Are Women Better Off in Pakistan Today?
Growing Insurgency in Swat
Religious Leaders Respond to Domestic Violence
Fighting Agents of Intolerance
A Woman Speaker: Another Token or Real Change
A Tale of Tribal Terror
Mukhtaran Mai-The Movie
World Economic Forum Survey of Gender Gap
"More of them(women) than ever are finding employment, doing everything from pumping gasoline and serving burgers at McDonald’s to running major corporations", says a report in the latest edition of Businessweek magazine.
Beyond company or government employment, there are a number of NGOs focused on encouraging self-employment and entrepreneurship among Pakistani women by offering skills training and microfinancing. Kashf Foundation led by a woman CEO and BRAC are among such NGOs. They all report that the success and repayment rate among female borrowers is significantly higher than among male borrowers.
In rural Sindh, the PPP-led government is empowering women by granting over 212,864 acres of government-owned agriculture land to landless peasants in the province. Over half of the farm land being given is prime nehri (land irrigated by canals) farm land, and the rest being barani or rain-dependent. About 70 percent of the 5,800 beneficiaries of this gift are women. Other provincial governments, especially the Punjab government have also announced land allotment for women, for which initial surveys are underway, according to ActionAid Pakistan.
Both the public and private sectors are recruiting women in Pakistan's workplaces ranging from Pakistani military, civil service, schools, hospitals, media, advertising, retail, fashion industry, publicly traded companies, banks, technology companies, multinational corporations and NGOs, etc.
Here are some statistics and data that confirm the growth and promotion of women in Pakistan's labor pool:
1. A number of women have moved up into the executive positions, among them Unilever Foods CEO Fariyha Subhani, Engro Fertilizer CFO Naz Khan, Maheen Rahman CEO of IGI Funds and Roshaneh Zafar Founder and CEO of Kashf Foundation.
2. Women now make up 4.6% of board members of Pakistani companies, a tad lower than the 4.7% average in emerging Asia, but higher than 1% in South Korea, 4.1% in India and Indonesia, and 4.2% in Malaysia, according to a February 2011 report on women in the boardrooms.
3. Female employment at KFC in Pakistan has risen 125 percent in the past five years, according to a report in the NY Times.
4. The number of women working at McDonald’s restaurants and the supermarket behemoth Makro has quadrupled since 2006.
5. There are now women taxi drivers in Pakistan. Best known among them is Zahida Kazmi described by the BBC as "clearly a respected presence on the streets of Islamabad".
6. Several women fly helicopters and fighter jets in the military and commercial airliners in the state-owned and private airlines in Pakistan.
Here are a few excerpts from the recent Businessweek story written by Naween Mangi:
About 22 percent of Pakistani females over the age of 10 now work, up from 14 percent a decade ago, government statistics show. Women now hold 78 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly, and in July, Hina Rabbani Khar, 34, became Pakistan’s first female Foreign Minister. “The cultural norms regarding women in the workplace have changed,” says Maheen Rahman, 34, chief executive officer at IGI Funds, which manages some $400 million in assets. Rahman says she plans to keep recruiting more women for her company.
Much of the progress has come because women stay in school longer. More than 42 percent of Pakistan’s 2.6 million high school students last year were girls, up from 30 percent 18 years ago. Women made up about 22 percent of the 68,000 students in Pakistani universities in 1993; today, 47 percent of Pakistan’s 1.1 million university students are women, according to the Higher Education Commission. Half of all MBA graduates hired by Habib Bank, Pakistan’s largest lender, are now women. “Parents are realizing how much better a lifestyle a family can have if girls work,” says Sima Kamil, 54, who oversees 1,400 branches as head of retail banking at Habib. “Every branch I visit has one or two girls from conservative backgrounds,” she says.
Some companies believe hiring women gives them a competitive advantage. Habib Bank says adding female tellers has helped improve customer service at the formerly state-owned lender because the men on staff don’t want to appear rude in front of women. And makers of household products say female staffers help them better understand the needs of their customers. “The buyers for almost all our product ranges are women,” says Fariyha Subhani, 46, CEO of Unilever Pakistan Foods, where 106 of the 872 employees are women. “Having women selling those products makes sense because they themselves are the consumers,” she says.
To attract more women, Unilever last year offered some employees the option to work from home, and the company has run an on-site day-care center since 2003. Engro, which has 100 women in management positions, last year introduced flexible working hours, a day-care center, and a support group where female employees can discuss challenges they encounter. “Today there is more of a focus at companies on diversity,” says Engro Fertilizer CFO Khan, 42. The next step, she says, is ensuring that “more women can reach senior management levels.”
The gender gap in South Asia remains wide, and women in Pakistan still face significant obstacles. But there is now a critical mass of working women at all levels showing the way to other Pakistani women.
I strongly believe that working women have a very positive and transformational impact on society by having fewer children, and by investing more time, money and energies for better nutrition, education and health care of their children. They spend 97 percent of their income and savings on their families, more than twice as much as men who spend only 40 percent on their families, according to Zainab Salbi, Founder, Women for Women International, who recently appeared on CNN's GPS with Fareed Zakaria.
Here's an interesting video titled "Redefining Identity" about Pakistan's young technologists, including women, posted by Lahore-based 5 Rivers Technologies:
Related Links:
Haq's Musings
Status of Women in Pakistan
Microfinancing in Pakistan
Gender Gap Worst in South Asia
Status of Women in India
Female Literacy Lags in South Asia
Land For Landless Women
Are Women Better Off in Pakistan Today?
Growing Insurgency in Swat
Religious Leaders Respond to Domestic Violence
Fighting Agents of Intolerance
A Woman Speaker: Another Token or Real Change
A Tale of Tribal Terror
Mukhtaran Mai-The Movie
World Economic Forum Survey of Gender Gap
Riaz Haq
Pakistan's women fight to enter the labor force
In Pakistan, where just 23% of women are employed, female professionals like Dr. Sobia Yaqub are challenging deep-rooted norms. As an oncologist and educator, she’s part of a growing movement proving that education and opportunity can reshape the future for women — and the nation.Breaking Barriers: Women in Pakistan's Workforce
In Pakistan, only about 20% of women manage to enter the workforce – a stark reminder of the societal and structural barriers they face. Cultural conservatism often discourages women from seeking employment – but access to employment is a fundamental right and a key driver of gender equality. The story of Dr. Sobia Yaqub, an oncologist in Lahore, highlights both the challenges and the possibilities. As a highly qualified medical professional and university lecturer, she has had to overcome workplace prejudice and family traditions that once kept women confined to the home. Her story reflects a growing shift in attitudes, as more women challenge traditional roles and seek professional success.
Education: The Key to Empowerment
Dr. Yaqub's success is rooted in education. She attended a Care School, one of nearly 900 institutions in Pakistan that provide free, high-quality education to children from low-income families. These schools are instrumental in promoting gender equality by encouraging girls to pursue their ambitions. Teachers and parents are increasingly recognizing the importance of educating girls – for personal growth and the country's economy and social development. Entrepreneurs like Seema Aziz and educators like Maria Umar further demonstrate how women can inspire others by creating opportunities.
Can Pakistan Improve Its Female Employment Rate?
Yes – but it requires a multi-faceted approach. Education must be prioritized, especially for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds – while challenging gender stereotypes, supporting women through mentorship and role models are also key. With consistent investment in education and societal change, Pakistan can raise its female labor force participation rate beyond the current 23% and unlock more of its economic potential.
Jun 25
Riaz Haq
The Women Shaping Pakistan’s Inclusive Economy – OpEd – Eurasia Review
https://www.eurasiareview.com/06112025-the-women-shaping-pakistans-...
By Dr. Shahzaib Khan
Pakistan is making a move to empower women by the year 2025 and it appears to be streamlined and more focused than ever. What was seen as an individual endeavour is currently a national trend and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the federal government, provincial governments and business corporations are all working towards the same direction to enable women more. The historical record of the nation is turning out to include more and more, women and their economic functions are not only a moral, but also an economic necessity.
The primary focus of this transformation is the policy SBP Banking on Equality that has infiltrated to become one of the most radical financial inclusion policies in Pakistani history. Governor Jameel Ahmad has made sure that he has pointed out how the strength of the nation strength of the nation is dependent on the full potential of the women in the economy. The second stage of this policy under implementation this year has involved digital banking equipment, mobile wallets, and fintech relationships so as to encompass unbanked women, especially in the rural world, into the formal financial sector. The figures tell it all over 37 million women have been registered as active bank accounts and this has been noted as not only a development, but also a cultural change when it comes to the manner in which women handle finance.
WE-Finance Code is the greatest success of the program and now it is adopted by 22 commercial banks. It exhibits industry guidelines on gender equity, not only in the employment but also in board and products and outreach. This means, to small business owners, or home-based entities, real access to credit lines, advisory services and electronic means of payment that were initially unavailable to them. It is also a structural change in the business environment in Pakistan as many women are also starting businesses with a formal financial support the first.
It has received a new push in the federal level through the Working Women Endowment Fund by the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif. It is built to increase the economic engagement with a particular financial investment, which is supported by the release of the Gender Parity Report 2025 that monitors the progress in education, governance, and justice. The gaps that are still there are not concealed in the report yet it provides a factual road map of how the government is about to go. It is also highly geared towards connecting policy and livelihood, through increasing the significance of women in cottage industries, small and medium enterprises and emerging e-commerce.
The provincial governments are also following the agenda in their pragmatic terms in other parts of the country. The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz has been on the forefront in the carrying out of activities like hostels and e-bike mobility programs and interests free loan programs. These could be small steps, but they are responding to the day-to-day challenges that just cannot see women getting to the workforce, transport, security, and shelter. The two have provided a more empowering platform to the working women, who are mainly also leaving the small towns into the urban economies.
23 hours ago
Riaz Haq
The Women Shaping Pakistan’s Inclusive Economy – OpEd – Eurasia Review
https://www.eurasiareview.com/06112025-the-women-shaping-pakistans-...
By Dr. Shahzaib Khan
The initiative has been taken even by the private corporations. Again, another illustration of the Corporate Governance by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) recently with their list of ten companies on their diversity in the work place and inclusion in the workplace. These companies, that overlap telecommunication, industry, and banking, are proving the notion that gender equity and profitability do not go against each other. Other programs like the PTCL program of Ba-Ikhtiar program go to the extent of supplying women with smartphones, digital wallet, and online business. Meanwhile, the Empowering Women and Girls Project of SPARC, when enacted to work in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning, is helping tens of thousands of women gain professional, as well as survival, skills that align to the interests of the modern market.
Technology is also emerging as the bridge of connectivity as well as catalyst. During the Digital Futures 2025 conference, the digital inclusion was the extra facet of gender equality that was set by analysts. Women can break the previous boundaries of the integration of AI tools, e-commerce services and online education. Female creativity driven by AI in digital fashion and design has reimagined how women creativity can receive a commercial expression. What is more generalized is that women are not only the subjects but they are driving the digital transformation.
Recognition and accountability are reinforcing this change. Content that OICCI Women Empowerment Awards are now an annual event and are used to celebrate the best corporate leaders in Pakistan that are seen to exhibit equality and become visible role models to the business fraternity. Meanwhile, the UNDP Gender Seal that was published alongside the Government of Pakistan provides official acknowledgment of those organizations meeting measurability parity goals. These recognitions cannot be merely regarded as ornamental, but a sign of a cultural transformation where inclusion is institutionalized.
The best aspect of the present wave of empowerment in Pakistan is, maybe, cross-sector co-operation. The state, the private enterprises, the civil society and the multilateral partners are the rowing towards the same direction. Financial inclusion has been associated with education, mobility, and access to digital. The development of skills is related to entrepreneurship and employment. And all the levels of policy, federal policy and local training, are thrown into a general national system.
Of course, challenges remain. Social obstacles, unequal provincial capacity and economic pressure are still inert and limit the level of progress. The difference between 2025 and the previous efforts lies however in the stickiness which realizes that empowerment of women is not another policy but the foundations of economic reform. As Pakistan tries to find its route out of climate resilience, digital transformation and demographic change, women are also progressively being recognized as the centre stage of all the three.
23 hours ago