Global gender equality list released, Pakistan ranks 2nd last

Pakistan has been ranked among the worst countries in the world in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap 2024 report. According to the report, Pakistan is ranked 145th out of 146 countries, with only Sudan below it. In contrast, neighboring Bangladesh is ranked 99th and India is ranked 129th.

The report said that although gender equality has improved in economic and political spheres worldwide since its inception in 2006, Pakistan still lags. According to the report, “Women in the South Asian country, who constitute almost half of the population, face severe economic and social inequality”.

According to statistics, only 36 percent of women in Pakistan participate in economic activities, while only 23 percent of women are part of the workforce. More than 40 million women in the country are out of the labor force, due to which the level of gender economic equality is extremely low.

The report also states that women earn 18 percent less than men. “If a man earns Rs1,000, a woman earns only Rs818 for the same work”.

The World Bank report also highlights the gender gap in wages and employment opportunities and calls the government and business initiatives insufficient. According to the report, ‘Economies cannot afford to risk pushing millions of women and girls back into poverty and deprivation’.

The gender wage gap is particularly pronounced in the agricultural sector in Pakistan, where 68 percent of women are employed but 76 percent of them are not paid, compared to 24 percent of men working in the same sector without pay.

There is a significant lack of female leadership in the corporate and industrial sectors. In Pakistan, only 0.14 percent of women hold managerial positions, compared to 2.33 percent of men, reflecting the deep gender gap in the workplace in the country.

The report compares Pakistan with Sri Lanka, where gender parity in the professional and technical workforce is 96.8 percent, while in Pakistan the ratio is 35.8 percent, which is more in favor of men.

South Asia is the region with the second-lowest score overall in the field of education, with a literacy rate of 94.5 percent, down 2.5 points from 2023. The education gap in densely populated countries like Pakistan has been cited as a major reason for this decline. Pakistan has a literacy rate of 67 percent, lower than Nepal’s 78 percent, while there is also a significant gap in enrollment at all levels of education.

The World Economic Forum report calls for significant improvements in economic gender equality so that women have unhindered access to resources, opportunities, and decision-making positions.

According to the report, “Governments should expand and strengthen frameworks for businesses and civil society that recognize gender equality as an economic imperative so that new avenues for innovation can be opened up while basic needs are met”.