Women empowerment and societal development of

Pakistan

Introduction

Women play an important role in the societal development of any country. Inclusion of women ensures
economic growth, reduces poverty, strengthens peace agreements, and bolsters the fortunes of
developing countries like Pakistan. If women are neglected, the entire society suffers. Indeed,
development gendered is development endangered.

2. Exposition of the term societal development.

3. Empowering women will result in social and political development of Pakistan

3.1 Empowering women leads to the development of the next generation- Research by Denmark’s
Charge de affairs to Pakistan Nelle Hielsen.

3.2 Empowering women empowers the prospects of peace in a society- Women of Liberia Mass Action
for Peace was crucial in bringing Liberia’s civil war to an end.

3.3 Empowering women promotes democratic norms and can be crucial for strengthening the fledgling
democratic system in Pakistan. Research by the political scientist Steven Fish reveals that societies that
have marginalize women have less authoritarian voices.

3.4 Strong empowered women are a tool for projecting a soft, civilized image of the country. Activism of
Malala Yousufzai.

4. Empowering women will result in economic development of Pakistan

4.1 Inclusion of women boosts GDP and economic growth- IMF reports that closing gender gap in the
work force can boost GDP by up to 30 percent for Pakistan resulting in much needed economic
development of Pakistan.

See: IMF’s Report Women, Work and Economic Growth: Levelling the playing field, Mckinsey Global: The
power of parity, Saudi modernization drive.

4.2 Inclusion of more human capital will open the flood gates of innovation and inventiveness resulting
in new economic opportunities for the burgeoning population of Pakistan- Case studies of Tasneem
Zehra Hussain and Nargis Mavalwala.
Use Narration technique.

4.3 Empowering women leads to the growth of middle class and living standards of the masses.
Comparative analysis of Tunisia and Morocco.

5. Empowering women will result in Sustainable development of Pakistan

5.1 Empowering women can help squeeze the genie of population explosion back into the bottle-
Evidence from the Demographic transition theory.

Karachi is bursting at the seams!

5.2 Empowering women will result in enhanced food security for Pakistan- Research by United Nations
Food and Agricultural Organization.

Land is growing scarce, water scarcity, the next revolution in agricultural productivity may be driven by
women education. For every 5 years education a woman receives, they learn better how to increase farm
yields, fertilizers, gain new farming techniques.

5.3 Woman empowerment is sine qua non for the achievement of the United Nation’s Sustainable
Development Goals in Pakistan.

5.4 Women empowerment will lead to a reduction in overall violence in Pakistan leading to an enabling
environment for growth, leisure, and development. Findings from Valerie Hudson’s book “Sex and world
peace.”

6. If there are so many advantages then why women still are not empowered?

6.1 Prevailing education apartheid in Pakistan- Alif Ailaan has published alarming statistics about the
exclusion of women from education!

6.2 Religious prejudice against women- Case study of the verdicts by the Council of Islamic Ideology.

6.3 Patriarchal outlook of the society. Findings from George Town University’s report.

7. How can the dream of women empowerment be actualized: The way forward.

7.1 Implementation of national and international promises should be realized on a war footing. Learning
from UNFPA’s Cairo Resolution 1994.

7.2. Special attention needs to be given to women literacy and skill development. Bangladesh’s model
should be followed.
7.3 Pakistan should invest in micro financing programme for women to ensure economic empowerment
of women on the grass roots level- Lessons for Grameen Bank.

7.4 Political inclusion of women should be ensured both in formal and informal decision making bodies-
Highlights from Esther Duflo’s study of impact of India’s 1993 constitutional amendment”.

7.5 Violence against women needs to be brought to an end in order to bring out their true potential. The
Strategic Reforms Unit’s “Survivor Service Model” in Multan needs to be implemented on a national
scale.