Pay gap — the case of Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the worst countries in the world regarding gender parity, ranking 142 out of 146 countries as per the Global Gender Gap Index 2023, released by the World Economic Forum. The ranking is a function of education, health, economic opportunity, and political empowerment. It covers a wide range of economic and social indicators, including a dismal literacy rate, a high school dropout rate, and a general aversion to imparting education to women. Despite being ranked one of the worst in terms of gender parity, Pakistan is ranked fairly in the middle of the pack at 71 out of 146 countries for wage equality for similar work. This is effectively the highest score the country got in any indicator related to gender parity. As per the Labour Force Survey 2020–21, the labour force participation for women is 15.5 per cent. The same in rural areas is around 19.9pc, while in urban areas it is significantly lower at 7.5pc. This may largely be due to greater participation in agriculture in rural areas, which skews labour force participation upwards.