Plight of Lasses and International Women’s Day

The Pakistani nation and the broader global Community are all set to commemorate the 49th International Women’s Day to acknowledge the importance, and rights of women along with hailing their pivotal role in shaping modern society and the present day Universe. The theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is to invest in women and accelerate progress. Today, nations across the globe will reaffirm their commitments to women’s empowerment, preservation of women’s rights, and the greater role of females in the world.

Fundamentally, women are the backbone of families as well as communities in all countries across the world. They provide care, support, and nurture their families while playing a vital role in the development and character-building of their children. Women have always proved their worth in all roles including mother, daughter, wife, and sister along with undertaking leadership roles as mentors, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and community builders in today’s world. Despite the importance of women in society, the Bint-e-Hawa always faced numerous challenges such as Gender discrimination and injustices in domestic life, the workplace, politics, and the social arena that not only hindered their ability to contribute toward society but limited their access to resources and opportunities including education, healthcare, employment, sports, recreation and other civic activities in society.

Unfortunately, no country in the world offers women the same opportunities as men in the workforce which found the global gender gap was far wider than previously thought. According to the World Bank Group report, closing the gap could raise global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by more than 20%, giving an unimaginable boost to international as well as domestic growth. The report found that although 95 countries enacted laws on equal pay, only 35 had measures in place to ensure the pay gap was addressed. Globally, women earned just 77 cents of each dollar earned by a man.

Many Asian, Latin American, and sub-Saharan African countries have seen rapid progress in the reform of laws in recent years, but the largest gap between legislation and implementation still exists. In 81 countries, a woman’s pension benefits do not account for periods of work absences related to childcare. The report revealed that 151 countries had laws against sexual harassment in the workplace, and only 40 nations had laws that covered abuse in public areas or on public transport, meaning women were not protected on their way to work.

Historically, discriminatory laws and practices prevent women from working or starting businesses on an equal footing with men all over the world. Certain legal and administrative measures to fill gender-based discrimination in the Global financial market could double the global growth rate over the next decade but the pace of reforms is slow to a crawl.

In fact, a progressive and inclusive society could not be possible without empowering women in every sector of life. It is the responsibility of every individual to ensure a conducive environment for girls and women to provide proper education and training, enabling them to live a life with dignity and respect. In Pakistan, the women’s literacy rate is much lower as compared to the men and they don’t have financial independence, access to better healthcare, higher education, equal employment opportunities, property and heirloom rights, and freedom to exercise vote in certain areas in the country.

Presently, Pakistan stands at 142 positions out of 147 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index, which presents a meek picture of human rights and women’s condition in our nation. Women’s empowerment and the promotion of gender equality are essential for the development of a just and equitable society. Empowering women leads to improved health outcomes, increased economic growth, and poverty reduction.

However, women continue to face numerous challenges that hinder their ability to contribute fully to society. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from individuals, communities, and governments. On this day, we must promise to work together to create a more just and equitable world not only for women but every member of society. That is the common goal of every welfare state and pro-public government, civic organization, and patriotic citizen in the world.