Gender and Development

Pakistan

National Commission on Status of Women

In Pakistan, planned development often fails to address gender inequalities due to lack of female staff and gender capacity in the public sector. The shortage of female public sector staff has been noted in the National Plan of Action where a reserved quota for female staff of 25 percent has been proposed.

To address this concern, ADB is supporting a 'Capacity Building Project on Gender and Governance'. The project seeks to promote the recruitment and promotion of women in public sector organizations by developing a set of gender specific recommendations, including reserved quota and other affirmative action policies.

The main objective of the project is to assist the Government of Pakistan to strengthen its capacity to implement the National Plan of Action on Women as an essential aspect of good governance and service delivery to women. To achieve this objective, the project will (i) review policy measures in relation to women's employment and access to decision-making powers in public sector organizations, (ii) revise policy measures and develop an agreed upon affirmative action plan to improve women's representation in the public sector, (iii) pursue approval of policy recommendations and action plans , and (iv) monitor implementation of policy measures.

The Project comprises three main components:

1. An inquiry into the issue of reserved quota for women in public sector organizations. The inquiry report will present policy recommendations and an affirmative action plan for implementation which includes suggested minimum reserved quota, recruitment policy guidelines, affirmative action plans, and institutional mechanisms and monitoring systems
2. Organization of a National Dialogue by the NCSW with key stakeholders.
3. Presentation of the agreed upon recommendations by the NCSW to relevant provincial governments for approval/adoption.

The major outcome of the project will be an approved gender policy, recruitment guidelines, and gender specific recruitment plans on employment of women at various organizational levels within public sector organizations available for implementation if adopted. These initiatives should contribute to increased gender awareness and capacity in government, including increased numbers of female public sector employees at higher levels and in some non-traditional areas.

In a society where the cultural requirements dictate strict segregation of males and females, increased representation/members of females in public sector institutions is critical for delivery of government services to women. In the absence of women field workers, outreach and participation of women remain unrealized.