GENDER DISPARITIES

Session: (1st semester) 2009-2011

Submission Date: January, 3rd, 2010.

Submitted To: Ma’am Sajida Nisar

Submitted By: Muhammad Usman

Group Leader Name: Muhammad Usman

Group Leader Roll No: 067

GROUPMEMBERS ROLL NO.

FAIZA HANIF 010

FAROOQ FAIZ 032

ISMA BATOOL 048

SANAN HAYAT 071

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UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I Would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following

individuals to the development of this report:
First, all glories to be Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful. He is
the one who gave us the strength and knowledge to create something
extra ordinary and it happened with us too. It was Allah who made our
ways clear so we can move on smoothly and I have become aware of the
actual meaning of Rehman and Rehmat for the first time. So thank you
Allah for your kindness who bestowed us with the sight to observe and
mind to think and judge.

Secondly, I am grateful to Ma’am Sajida Nisar for letting us makes use

of our hidden skills and also for his helpful comments on writing this
term paper.
The effort and time spent by me in compiling this report would not have
been possible without the most generous consideration and
encouragement of my group members.
I am greatly indebted to my group members: Faiza Hanif ,Isma Batool,
Farooq Faiz, Sanan Hayat whose suggestions and encouragement
remain a continuous source of inspiration and courage for me. All of
my group members helped one another to refine one’s task and
pointed out weaknesses in group and directed one another to two
resources that he had used so that they could find more information to
elaborate on a point that they had insufficiently developed.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

T his report examines the lack of economic opportunities in

combination with cultural and social norms that determine
outcomes for women to a significant degree. One manifestation
of an enormously influential cultural norm is the restriction on
women’s mobility. According to multiple sources of data—including a
nationally representative survey and more focused surveys of rural
households in Punjab and Sindh, the safety of females in public spaces
is a constant worry for urban and rural families alike. A mother may
keep her daughter from attending school so that she does not have to
walk alone. A woman who needs medical care for herself or her
children cannot travel alone to a health center, particularly if it is
outside her settlement. A common thread emerges in all dimensions,
though their sources are numerous and varied, that traces gender gaps
to restrictions on the physical mobility of females and their access to
information: both undercut their ability to acquire key services and
pursue life opportunities. Mobility restrictions directly undermine
female access to medical care, education, opportunities for paid work,
voting and other forms of political and community participation. The
more women are secluded in households or settlements, the more they
lack access to a broad range of information and are unaware of their
legal rights, the importance of health maintenance, and the benefits of
participating in the public sphere.

In certain dimensions, however, large gender inequalities persist.

Although more girls are in school, a substantial gender gap in
enrollment remains and worsens significantly as girls transition from
primary to middle school. Although gender differentials in child
immunization have declined, considerable gender differentials persist
in other aspects of health care. The use of reproductive health services
is low, and maternal mortality ratios remain high. The cumulative
effects of this pattern are evident in the high sex ratio of 108 males per

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100 females. In the labor market, lower educational attainment

coupled with social norms that restrict mobility confine women to a
limited range of
Employment opportunities and low wages. The achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will require significant
reductions in these gender gaps. Policy interventions directed
specifically at gender inequality in these public domains would allow
the government to move decisively toward achieving these goals.

The quality of life for women and girls in Pakistan has improved in
recent decades. School enrollments have raised across all income
categories. Child health indicators such as immunization rates and
infant mortality have improved for girls and boys. Fertility rates are
declining leading to better health for women. Women’s participation
in paid labor has increased, particularly in agriculture, and their
involvement in the political process has risen thanks to a federal
mandate in 2000 to reserve seats for women at selected levels of
government.
All aspects which aid in reducing gender disparities are discussed in
this report. The roles of national and international agencies are also
discussed. All sections mention in this report tends to cover all the
aspects of GENDER DISPARITIES.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents
1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................1

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1.1 What is Disparity?.............................................................................................1

1.2 What is Gender Disparity?...................................................................................1
1.3 Sex Discrimination:..............................................................................................1
2. CAUSES OF GENDER DISPARITY...................................................................2
2.1 The Early Childhood Environment:.....................................................................2
2.2 General Assumption:............................................................................................2
2.3 Adult Pride of Men:.............................................................................................2
2.4 Physical Health:...................................................................................................3
2.5Psychology:...........................................................................................................3
2.6 Personality Tests:.................................................................................................3
2.7 Intelligence:..........................................................................................................3
3. IMPACTS OF GENDER DISPARITY.................................................................3
3.1 Gender disparities a drag on economic growth:...................................................4
3.2 Illiteracy:..............................................................................................................4
3.3 Gender Income Gap:............................................................................................4
3.4 Prostitution:..........................................................................................................5
3.5 Suicide..................................................................................................................5
4. COMPARISON AMONG DIFFERENT STATES:..............................................5
4.1 Literacy Rate in Pakistan & India:.......................................................................5
4.2 Laws against Sex Discrimination in United States of America:..........................5
4.2.1 Equal Pay Act of 1963:.................................................................................5
4.2.2 Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978:........................................................6
4.3 Laws against Sex Discrimination in United Kingdom:........................................6
4.3.1 The Equal Pay Act 1970:..............................................................................6
4.3.2 Sex Discrimination Act 1975:.......................................................................6
Gender parity in primary and secondary education...............................................7
4.3.3 MDG target:..................................................................................................7
4.4 Female Labor Force Participation:.......................................................................8
4.5 Unemployment:....................................................................................................8
4.6 Male–female income disparity in the United States.............................................9
4.7 Trends in the Gender Earnings Gap:....................................................................9
5. GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS.................................................................10
5.1 Gender Assessment:...........................................................................................10
5.2 The Constitution of Pakistan and Fundamental Rights Related to Discrimination: 10
5.3 Principles of policy relating to women in the constitution of Pakistan 1973:....11
5.4 The Rights of a Female Accused:......................................................................11
5.5 Rights of Wife in Polygamy:..............................................................................11

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5.6 Shari’ a and establishment:................................................................................12

5.6 Policy Research Report on Gender (2001):........................................................13
5.7Attaining the Millennium Development Goals in Pakistan:...............................13
5.8 The Gender Disparity in Enrolment:..................................................................13
5.9 Talibanization Enforcement & Government Operations:..................................14
6. ROLE OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES:.......................14
6.1 Role of National Agencies:................................................................................14
6.1.1 Microfinance:..............................................................................................14
6.1.2 National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW):..........................14
6.2 Role of International Agencies:..........................................................................15
6.2.1 WHO's Focus in Women's Mental Health..................................................15
6.2.2 National Organization for Women:.............................................................15
6.3 Human Rights Act 1998:....................................................................................15
6.3 UNICEF (United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund):..............16
6.4 MDG (Millennium Development Goals) target:................................................16
Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by
2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015...................................16
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................17

TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Gender symbols..............................................................................................7
Figure 3: Boys & Girls Net Enrollment Ratio.............................................................13
Figure 4: Gender Enrollment Ratio..............................................................................13
Figure 5: The Gender Parity Index (GPI)....................................................................14

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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 What is Disparity?

D
isparity is a sociological term referring to the treatment taken toward or
against a person of a certain group that is taken in consideration based on
class or category”. The United Nations explains: “Discriminatory behaviors
take many forms, but they all involve some form of exclusion or rejection.”
Discriminatory laws such as redlining have existed in many countries. In some
countries, controversial attempts such as racial quotas have been used to redress
negative effects of discriminations then there is a gender inequality.

1.2 What is Gender Disparity?

“Gender Disparity refers to the obvious or hidden disparity between

individuals due to gender”.
Sex is an inherent biological difference, through chromosomes, brain
structure, and hormonal differences (Male and Female are sexes). Gender is the
sociologically constructed differences between men and women--i.e. Culturally
Masculine and Feminine qualities. The dichotomous nature of gender lends to the
creation of inequality that manifests in numerous dimensions of daily life. Also when
distinctions are made between males and females and differential treatment is meted
out to boys and girls.

Figure 1: Gender symbols

1.3 Sex Discrimination:

Though gender discrimination and sexism refers to beliefs and attitudes in relation to
the gender of a person, such beliefs and attitudes are of a social nature and do not,
normally, carry any legal consequences. Sex discrimination, on the other hand,
may have legal consequences.

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Currently, discrimination based on sex is defined as: “Adverse action against another
person that would not have occurred had the person been of another sex”. This is
considered a form of prejudice and is illegal in certain enumerated circumstances in
most countries.

2. CAUSES OF GENDER DISPARITY

The existence of a gender difference does not necessarily identify whether the trait is
due to nature or environment. Some traits are obviously innate (for example,
reproductive organs), others obviously environmental (for example, given names),
while for others the relationship is either multi-cause or unknown.

2.1 The Early Childhood Environment:

Boys and girls are, from birth, reared under a different set of environmental
conditions. Parents play more roughly and vigorously with infant sons than they do
with daughters, and are more likely to react positively to assertive behavior on the
part of their sons and to emotional sensitivity in their daughters. Boys are
encouraged to be more physically active while girls are encouraged to be
affectionate and tender. Boys tend to be given more freedom to roam the
neighborhood, and they are not protected for as great a length of a time as girls from
potentially dangerous activities like playing with sharp objects or crossing the street
alone. Parents quickly come to the aid of their daughters, but are more likely to
encourage their sons to address problems themselves. Thus, independence and
initiative tend to be encouraged in boys, while dependence and passive behavior
tend to be encouraged in girls.

2.2 General Assumption:

There is a general assumption that women are lazy and cannot take
managerial decisions. Long time ago, women are not allowed to work except when
asked to take care of the children simply because it is the duty of the father to
provide money in order to carter for the family.

2.3 Adult Pride of Men:

One of the major causes of gender discrimination is that ''men'' have adult
pride in the sense that they cannot subject themselves under the authority /control of
a female leader. Hardly, you will see a man that wants to be rule by a woman. There
is a popular saying that ''what a man can do, a woman can do better'' I will say a
woman can do best.

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2.4 Physical Health:

From conception to death, but particularly before adulthood, females are less
vulnerable than males to developmental difficulties and chronic illnesses. This could
be due to females having two x chromosomes instead of just one, or in the reduced
exposure to testosterone

2.5Psychology:

Some studies show that males are more inclined to risky behavior than
female. In one large scale study, most cognitive abilities and psychological traits
showed little or no average difference between the sexes. Where sex differences
exist, there is often considerable overlap between the sexes; in addition, it is unclear
how many of these differences hold true across different cultures. Nevertheless,
certain trends tend to be found.

2.6 Personality Tests:

 In the big five personality traits, women score higher in Agreeableness

(tendency to be compassionate and cooperative) and Neuroticism (tendency
to feel anxiety, anger, and depression).
 Demographics of MBTI surveys indicate that 60-75% of women prefer feeling
and 55-80% of men prefer thinking.

2.7 Intelligence:

Many recent studies have concluded that IQ performances of men and

women vary little. Other studies show a greater variance in the IQ performance of
men compared to that of women, i.e. men are more represented at the extremes of
performance, and less represented at the median.

3. IMPACTS OF GENDER DISPARITY

The discriminatory nature of Islamic legal reforms for women in Pakistan is
clear, but the extent of their impact is hard to measure.
Human rights activists are correct to focus on specific cases
of discrimination, even if the number of actual cases is relatively
small. But it is misleading to conclude that the overall
impact is marginal.

3.1 Gender disparities a drag on economic

growth:

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Despite numerous commitments to gender

equality during past decades, Pakistan has made
insufficient progress on a range of important gender
measurements. Given the connection between female
literacy and economic development, educating girls in
Pakistan should be a national obsession. Successful
poverty reduction depends on myriad complex,
interrelated factors, and there is clearly no silver bullet.
Several studies have shown that female education can
also contribute significantly to agricultural productivity.[9]
Given that agriculture comprises roughly a quarter of
Pakistan’s GDP, this is an area that deserves more attention.

3.2 Illiteracy:

Mounting empirical data now indicate that the returns to educating girls are
greater than the returns from educating boys. The bigger the gender gaps in primary
education, the higher the return of investing in girls’ literacy. Pakistan has for
decades grossly underinvested in education, and in particular, girls’ education.
Education spending is mired at roughly 1 percent of GDP, and in this environment of
resource constraints, girls tend to be short-changed. Overall literacy is only 44
percent while adult female literacy is less than 30 percent. Moreover, the gap
between male and female literacy rates has widened. In 1975, the literacy gap
between men and women in Pakistan was 25 points (11 percent literacy for women
vs. 36 percent literacy for men). By 2001, that gap had inched upward to 29 points
(29 percent literacy for women versus 58 percent for men).

3.3 Gender Income Gap:

In many countries, there is a gender income gap which favors males in the
labor market. Several factors other than discrimination may contribute to this gap. On
average, women are more likely than men to consider factors other than pay when
looking for work, and may be less willing to travel or relocate. Thomas Sowell, in his
book Knowledge and Decisions, claims that this difference is due to women not
taking jobs due to marriage or pregnancy, but income studies show that does not
explain the entire difference. Men are far more likely to engage in dangerous
occupations which often pay more than positions desired and sought by women.

3.4 Prostitution:

Shortly after taking power in 1949, the Communist Party of China embarked
upon a series of campaigns that purportedly eradicated prostitution from mainland
China by the early 1960s because of their non discriminatory behavior. However,
since the loosening of government controls over society in the early 1980s,

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prostitution in mainland China not only has become more visible, but also can now
be found throughout both urban and rural areas.

3.5 Suicide
In western countries, males are much more likely to die by suicide than
females (usually by a factor of 3–4:1); 69 out of 74 non-western countries found an
excess male mortality from suicide caused by the impact of gender discrimination.
While there are more completed male suicides than female, females are more likely
to attempt suicide. Another theory is that females are more likely to use self-harm as
a cry for help or attention while males are more likely to genuinely want to end their
lives.

4. COMPARISON AMONG DIFFERENT

STATES:
4.1 Literacy Rate in Pakistan & India:

Among other criticisms the Pakistani education system faces is the gender
disparity in enrollment levels. In 1999-2000, the female to male ratio (F/M ratio) of
enrollment was 0.74 for primary level of education. For the middle level of education
it was 0.42 in the start of decade and increased to 0.68 by the end of decade, so it
has improved almost 62 percent. There is a wide gender disparity in the literacy rate
in India: adult (15+ years) literacy rates in 2009 were 76.9% for men and 54.5% for
women. The low female literacy rate has had a dramatically negative impact on
family planning and population stabilization efforts in India.

4.2 Laws against Sex Discrimination in United States of America:

4.2.1 Equal Pay Act of 1963:

The Equal Pay Act of 1963, Pub. L. No. 88-38, 77 Stat. 56, (June 10, 1963)
codified at 29 U.S.C. § 206(d), is a United States federal law amending the Fair
Labor Standards Act, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex. In passing
the bill, Congress denounces sex discrimination for the following reasons:

 It depresses wages and living standard for employee necessary for their
health and efficiency;
 It prevents the maximum utilization of the available labor resources
 It tends to cause labor disputes, thereby burdening, affecting, and obstructing
commerce;

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 It burdens commerce and the free flow of goods in commerce; and

 It constitutes an unfair method of competition.

4.2.2 Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978:

In 1978, the U.S. Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (P.L.
95-555), an amendment to the sex discrimination section of the Civil Rights Act of
1964. In 2002, California's Paid Family Leave (PFL) insurance program, also known
as the Family Temporary Disability Insurance (FTDI) program, extended
unemployment disability compensation to cover individuals who take time off work to
bond with a new minor child. PFL covers employees who take time off to bond with
their own child or their registered domestic partner's child, or a child placed for
adoption or foster-care with them or their domestic partner

4.3 Laws against Sex Discrimination in United Kingdom:

4.3.1 The Equal Pay Act 1970:

The Equal Pay Act 1970 is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament which
prohibits any less favorable treatment between men and women in terms of pay and
conditions of employment. It came into force on 29 December 1975. The term pay is
interpreted in a broad sense to include, on top of wages, things like holidays,
pension rights, company perks and some kinds of bonuses.

4.3.2 Sex Discrimination Act 1975:

The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 is an Act of the Parliament of the United
Kingdom to protect men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex. The
Act is mainly in relation to employment, training, education, harassment, the
provision of goods and services, and the disposal of premises. The Gender
Recognition Act 2004 and The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Amendment)
Regulations 2008 amended parts of this Act is apply to transgender people.

 Gender gaps in secondary school are small

Secondary school net enrolment/attendance ratio of boys and girls, by region (2000-
2006)

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Figure 2: Boys & Girls Net Enrollment Ratio

Boys are more likely to be in primary school than girls

Primary school net enrolment/attendance ratio of boys and girls of secondary school
age, by region (2000�2006)

Figure 3: Gender Enrollment Ratio

 Gender parity in primary and secondary education

4.3.3 MDG target:

Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005,
and in all levels of education no later than 2015

Girl’s education has been expanding all over the world, but not fast enough to
ensure a basic education for the millions of girls still out of school.

There are important regional differences. The largest gender gaps at the primary
level are in West/Central Africa, Middle East/North Africa and South Asia. Gender
disparities are greatest in rural areas and among poor households

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About one third of countries achieved gender parity in secondary education by 2005.
But in terms of equality and empowerment, gender parity is just a starting point. The
MDG envisages education as a fulfilling experience for all girls and boys and as
helping them to reach their full potential in society.

Figure 4: The Gender Parity Index (GPI)

 Note: The gender parity index (GPI) is obtained by dividing the net enrolment/attendance
ratio for girls by the net enrolment/attendance ratio for boys.

4.4 Female Labor Force Participation:

Today, Pakistan’s female formal labor force participation rate hovers around
15 percent. While that represents a tripling over the past 20 years, female labor force
participation is still low in an absolute sense and relative to other countries with
similar per capita GDP. In Bangladesh, for example, female labor force participation
is 57 percent. Increasing women in the workforce is both a challenge and an
opportunity for Pakistan. Clearly, Pakistan’s low rate of female literacy is an obstacle
to workforce participation.

4.5 Unemployment:

Foreign direct investment in export-oriented sectors such as textiles is also

positively correlated with rises in female labor force participation. While economists
are unclear whether this is cause or effect, Pakistan has largely missed out on
foreign investment in light manufacturing and service industries that today employ
large numbers of women from Mexico to Bangladesh. These jobs represent a ticket
to the middle class for the female employees and their families.

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4.6 Male–female income disparity in the United States

Male–female income disparity, also referred to as a "gender gap in earnings",

in the United States, also known as the "gender wage gap," is used by government
agencies and economists to refer to statistics gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau,
as part of the Current Population Survey, comparing median male wages to median
female wages. The gender gap is usually expressed as the ratio of female to male
earnings among full-time, year-round (FTYR) workers.

(For example, in 2004 the median income of FTYR male workers was $40,798,
compared to $31,223 for FTYR female workers. 31,223 divided by 40,798 is 0.765,
so the gender earnings gap in 2004 was 0.235 (1 minus 0.765). This is often
expressed as a percentage: e.g., "in 2004, women's wages were 76.5% of men's
wages," or "in 2004, women earned 23.5% less than
men earned." For 2008 the U.S. Labor Department
reported women's median wages to be 79.9% of
men's, while women who have never married earn
94.2% of their unmarried male counterparts' earnings.
This statistic does not take into account differences in
experience, skill, occupation, or hours worked, other
than meeting requirement for "full time" work).

4.7 Trends in the Gender Earnings Gap:

Women's pay relative to men's rose rapidly from 1980 to 1990 (from 60.2% to
71.6%), and less rapidly from 1990 to 2004 (from 71.6% to 76.5%), though young
women have started to out earn young men in some large urban centers with young
women earning up to 20% more than their male counterparts.

According to a study published in the June, 2008 issue of the American Sociological
Review, women can make inroads into male-dominated management ranks as
companies scale-back workforces via downsizing. The study shows that firms
apparently make an effort to balance gender inequities during staff shakeups.
Overall, women accounted for nearly 36 percent of the company’s managers after
restructuring, compared with an average of about 24 percent during the period from
1967 to 1993, according to the study.

5. GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS
(To have an adequate appreciation of the far-reaching effects of disparities between
women and men, we have to recognize the basic fact that gender inequality is not
one affliction, but many, with varying reach on the lives of women and men, and of
girls and boys).

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5.1 Gender Assessment:

South Asia stands out among all the regions of the world as a region with a
high degree of gender inequality—in opportunities, resources, and rewards enjoyed
by men and women. Within South Asia, gender disparities in Pakistan are also
pronounced: they cut across all classes, sectors, and regions of the country.
Although the issues of gender inequality in Pakistan are well documented, less is
known about what drives these gender differences and what policy levers are at
hand to effect change. This Gender Assessment describes the multiple dimensions
of tackling these gender inequalities and
identifies implementable policies that will most
effectively alleviate gender gaps. The Gender
Assessment has combined data analysis with
information on legal, political, and socio-
cultural environments. It is vital to include the
influence of socio-cultural norms on families’
reactions to policies and programs, or we risk
creating initiatives that are unsuccessful, even
if they provide all the right economic incentives.

5.2 The Constitution of Pakistan and Fundamental Rights Related to

Discrimination:

The currently enforced 1973 Constitution is the supreme law of the country
and all laws passed should be in line with the Constitution. However, this
Constitution has undergone various amendments, especially during the previous
Martial Law period (1977-1985), which have weakened the guarantees it provides for
equal rights. Articles 8 to Article 28 of the 1973 Constitution describe the
Fundamental Rights which are to be available to all citizens, women as well as men
wherever they may be, as well as all people temporarily or permanently in Pakistan.
However, the freedoms guaranteed can be curtailed or taken away by the

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government on the grounds of the sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan, maintenance

of public order, public morality.

5.3 Principles of policy relating to women in the constitution of Pakistan

1973:

A number of the Principles of Policy specifically relate to women:

Article 32 - special representation shall be given to women in local government

institutions (i.e., local bodies).

Article 34 - steps shall be taken to ensure full participation of women in all spheres
of national life.

Article 35 - the State shall protect marriage, the family, the mother and the child.

Article 37(e) - make sure women are not employed in vocations unsuited to their
sex, and that working women get maternity benefits.

Article 38(a) - secure well-being of the people, irrespective of sex.

Article 38(d) - provide basic necessities of life, irrespective of sex.

5.4 The Rights of a Female Accused:

In 1994 the Criminal Procedure Code (Sec.167) was amended to provide

greater protection to accused women. These changes have greatly reduced the
chances of abuse of women in custody. Any violation of the protective procedures
and provisions mentioned below can be challenged in the courts.

5.5 Rights of Wife in Polygamy:

Under the MFLO, polygamy is restricted and permission for a man to marry
again is only given under specific circumstances and following specific procedures.
In the event of a violation of these procedures, the wife/wives can take their husband
to court.

Grounds for Polygamy Procedure for Polygamy

Rule 14 of Rules under MFLO: the  Sec.6, Rule 14 of MFLO:
proposed marriage must be ‘just anD written application from husband stating:
necessary’. Clearly mentioned whether consent of existing. wife/wives
grounds: obtained; just and necessary reasons for
proposed marriage
 wife sterile  payment of fee
 wife physically unfit for  Arbitration Council (Union Council

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conjugal relations Chairman + existing wife/wives’

 wife insane representative + husband’s
 wife physically infirm representative) considers whether
 wife willfully avoids husband proposed marriage is ‘just and
even after he has obtained a necessary’ during continuation of existing
decree for conjugal rights from marriage; decides by majority and
a court records reasons in writing while granting
written permission.
 permission certificate issued, mentioning
date, number, names, to be recorded in
clause 21 of new marriage’s nikahnama

5.6 Shari’ a and establishment:

The tension between Shari’a and established human rights standards and
women’s rights is well documented. In general, this literature focuses on how the
restoration of Shari’a as public law in Muslim countries erodes the status and rights
that women have achieved under secular law. Pakistan’s
constitution guarantees women equal rights, and empowers
the government to take affirmative action to protect and
promote those rights. However, over the years, parallel
Islamic legal systems have been promoted which
undermine those rights, like the Federal Shari’a Court
(FSC) established by General Zia ul-Haq in 1980. The
gender bias of Shari’a is undeniable. Women have unequal rights to inheritance,
termination of marriage, minimum age of marriage, and natural guardianship of
children. Polygamy is allowed, and there are grossly inadequate provisions for
women’s financial security after divorce. Pakistan’s controversial Hudood
Ordinances, particularly with regard to Zina (sex), are also discriminatory. By blurring
the line between rape and adultery, the Zina Ordinance creates the possibility that a
woman can be convicted of adultery if she cannot prove rape.

5.6 Policy Research Report on Gender (2001):

The recent Policy Research Report on Gender (2001) extensively analyzed
gender issues across the developing world and provided evidence of the types of
reforms and policies that can promote gender equality. It also stressed that a one-
size-fits-all policies for promoting gender equality will not work. This Country Gender
Assessment (CGA) examines what policies would succeed or fail in the Pakistani
context. The CGA builds on Pakistan’s Poverty Assessment (2002), which showed
that steady economic growth throughout the 1980s and 1990s was not accompanied
by commensurate social improvements.

5.7Attaining the Millennium Development Goals in Pakistan:

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The government’s pledge to achieve the MDGs by 2015 means it is prepared

to assume responsibility for ameliorating gender disparities in social, economic, and
political spheres. While only one of the eight MDGs promotes gender equality and
the empowerment of women, gender issues are germane to achieving all eight
MDGs. Gender gaps in a country’s political, social, cultural, and economic
dimensions are intertwined with the country’s overall development trajectory.
Especially important is the achievement of universal education; because increases in
educational attainment are transmitted to subsequent generations, reductions in the
gender gap for education is self-perpetuating.

5.8 The Gender Disparity in Enrolment:

Among other criticisms the Pakistani education system

faces is the gender disparity in enrollment levels. However, in
recent years some progress has been made in trying to fix this
problem. In 1990-91, the female to male ratio (F/M ratio) of
enrollment was 0.47 for primary level of education. It reached to
0.74 in 1999-2000, so the F/M ratio has improved by 57.44
percent within the decade. For the middle level of education it
was 0.42 in the start of decade and increased to 0.68 by the end
of decade, so it has improved almost 62 percent. In both cases
the gender disparity is decreased but relatively more rapidly at
middle level. But for whole of the decade the gender disparity
remained relatively high at middle level, despite the fact that for
the duration the F/M ratio for teachers and F/M ratio of educational institutions at the
middle level remained better than at the primary level.

5.9 Talibanization Enforcement & Government Operations:

However, the gender disparity is affected by the Taliban enforcement of a

complete ban on female education in the Swat district, as reported in a January 21,
2009 issue of the Pakistan daily newspaper The News. Some 400 private schools
enrolling 40,000 girls have been shut down. At least 10 girls' schools that tried to
open after the January 15, 2009 deadline by the Taliban were blown up by the
militants in the town of Mingora, the headquarters of the Swat district. "More than
170 schools have been bombed or torched, along with other government-owned
buildings."

Government of Pakistan started army operations in Swat and Mingora against the
Taliban to overcome all these problems created by them and now those operations
are ending up with successful results all around.

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6. ROLE OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL

AGENCIES:
6.1 Role of National Agencies:
6.1.1 Microfinance:
Pakistan’s government agencies are beginning to support microfinance
initiatives in a serious fashion, which helps the poor, particularly women, start their
own businesses. The government, with a $150 million loan from the ADB,
established the Kushali Bank in 2000. In 2002, Kushali lent $15 million to 65,000
customers, one-third of whom, are women. Other organizations like the Kashf
Foundation are focused exclusively on women. Kashf is scaling up quickly and is on
target to have 100,000 clients by the end of 2004.

6.1.2 National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW):

Women’s groups have campaigned strenuously against Islamization in

general and specifically for repeal of the Hudood Ordinances because of their
gender discrimination. Benazir Bhutto made the “anti-female” bias of General Zia ul-
Haq’s Islamization policies a major theme of the 1988 national campaign. More
recently, the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) urged the
government to repeal the Hudood laws in a much-publicized report in August 2003.
Commission noted that the Zina Ordinance in particular had been relentlessly used
against women, particularly poor, illiterate rural women. Its final report asserted that
as many as 88 percent of women in Pakistan’s jails are there because of ambiguities
in the Zina Ordinance.However, others believe these claims to be overstated.

6.2 Role of International Agencies:

6.2.1 WHO's Focus in Women's Mental Health

Build evidence on the prevalence and causes of

mental health problems in women as well as on
the mediating and protective factors. Promote
the formulation and implementation of health
policies that address women's needs and
concerns from childhood to old age. Enhance
the competence of primary health care providers
to recognize and treat mental health
consequences of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and acute and chronic
stress in women

6.2.2 National Organization for Women:

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Women only make $.81 to a man's dollar. Think what that means over a work
week, a year, a career. And what it means to how we
live after retirement. The U.S. has no guaranteed
medical leave for childbirth; we're trailing 168
countries in the company of only Lesotho, Liberia,
Papua New Guinea and Swaziland. The U.S. is near
the bottom of the list – again – in our public support
for quality childcare for children of working parents.
Our access to affordable birth control is now under attack. Our right to safe,
accessible, legal abortion is threatened as never before. And, finally, women still
only make up 16 percent of our representatives in Congress. The U.S ranks 64th
in nations with proportion of elected officials who are women.

6.3 Human Rights Act 1998:

The Human Rights Act 1998 is an Act of

Parliament of the United Kingdom came into force on
2 October 2000. Its aim is to "give further effect" in
UK law to the rights contained in the European
Convention on Human Rights. The Act makes
available in UK courts a remedy for breach of a
Convention right, without the need to go to the
European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. It
also totally abolished the death penalty in UK law
(although this was not required by the Convention in force for the UK at that time).

6.3 UNICEF (United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund):

 The gender gap in education is diminishing with increased enrolment.

 Promote gender equality and empower women.
 Gender parity in primary and secondary education.

6.4 MDG (Millennium Development Goals) target:

Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by
2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015.

 Girl’s education has been expanding all over the world, but not fast enough to
ensure a basic education for the millions of girls still out of school.

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 About two thirds of countries and

territories reached gender parity
in primary education by the
target year of 2005, but in many
other countries especially in sub-
Saharan Africa girls are still
disadvantaged.

 About one third of countries

achieved gender parity in secondary education by 2005. But in terms of
equality and empowerment, gender parity is just a starting point. The MDG
envisages education as a fulfilling experience for all girls and boys and as
helping they reach their full potential in society.

CONCLUSION
With the way things are going, if men are not too careful, they will be ruled by woman
whether they like it or not. Because woman of nowadays are standing up to the
challenge. I believe if woman are given the chance, the whole world at large will be
in peace and harmony because crime rate, suicide bombing, fraud, theft etc will be
minimized.

In a nut shell, women should be given a free hand to work both at home and in
organizations because if men are not too careful, they will be the ones to serve
under women in the nearest future.

The day will come when men will recognize woman as his
peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the
nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect

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comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest
development of the race.”       —Susan B. Anthony

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