Gender and Development

Pakistan

Gender Reform Program in Pakistan

The economic, social and political status of women in Pakistan is one of the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region. Despite some improvements over the last 30 years, Pakistan's ranking in the UNDP's Gender-related Development Index, which covers such factors as life expectancy, educational attainment and income; was 135th out of 174 countries in 2000. In terms of the Gender Empowerment Measurement, which measures gender inequality in such areas as economic and political participation and decision making, Pakistan's ranking is 100th out of 102 countries measured.

The Government has taken various measures in its efforts to address gender inequality. A Women's Development Ministry has been established at the federal level, and there are Women's Development Departments (WDD) at the provincial level. The Ministry, however, faces considerable resource constraints and as yet lacks a comprehensive policy framework and institutional capacity to mainstream gender across sectors and at different levels of Government. There are, for example, almost no formal horizontal and vertical administrative linkages between the Ministry, WDD, and other key ministries and departments. Focal points in line ministries lack relevant training. At the WDD level the focus has been on limited welfare services, and there is no office at the district level specifically dealing with issues of women's rights, welfare and development in a comprehensive and cohesive manner.

In addition, lack of and poor retention rate of female field workers have been one of the major constraints in rural service delivery to women, as in Pakistan it is culturally inappropriate for male field workers to approach female project beneficiaries.

To address these and associated problems, ADB and the Government has worked together to design an advisory technical assistance (ADTA) which will help the Government prepare a gender component for the Devolution Support Program Loan (scheduled to be approved in 2002), which will aim at improving gender policy framework, establishing and/or strengthening institutional mechanisms and capacity to address gender mainstreaming. The ADTA will focus on the development of politically viable, efficient, effective and properly resourced institutions; which are capable of sustaining and responding to the issues of women's practical and strategic needs,

With the assistance of a Gender Specialist at ADB's Resident Mission, the ADTA team has carried out extensive consultation with concerned Government ministries/departments, provincial and district governments, donor agencies and NGOs.