Women’s Economic Empowerment
in the Manufacturing Workplace
Market Development Facility
August 2017
Mahreen Khan
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3
I. Objectives.......................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 1: Stakeholders ................................................................................................................................ 5
I. Leather (Garments, Accessories, Sports Goods) ............................................................................... 6
II. Textiles (garments, linen and embroidery) ....................................................................................... 8
III. Pharmaceutical (medicines, herbals and IV’s) .............................................................................. 9
IV. Public Sector, Associations, NGOs & Ancillary Service Providers ............................................... 10
Chapter 2: Key Findings .............................................................................................................................. 13
I. Barriers to Women Working ........................................................................................................... 14
II. Employer Attitudes to WEE............................................................................................................. 15
III. Practical Solutions to Facilitate WEE........................................................................................... 16
Chapter 3: Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 17
I. Potential Partnerships ..................................................................................................................... 18
II. Public Policy Levers ......................................................................................................................... 19
III. Ancillary Service Providers .......................................................................................................... 19
Chapter 4: WEE Workshops ........................................................................................................................ 21
I. Core Themes for Engagement ........................................................................................................ 22
II. Communicating WEE Benefits ........................................................................................................ 22
III. WEE Workshop Panellists ........................................................................................................... 23
IV. Next Steps in WEE Campaign ...................................................................................................... 24
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................ 25
APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................................... 26
I. Interview Questionnaires ................................................................................................................ 27
Introduction The aim of the field work and report on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in the manufacturing
workplace is to capture a snapshot of employer and worker concerns, experiences and challenges across
small, medium and large manufacturers in the leather, textile and pharmaceutical industries.
These industries were chosen as the majority of women workers are engaged in these sectors and
textiles account for the largest contributor to Pakistan’s exports. Pakistan’s women work on products
that are shipped to all corners of the globe. In Sialkot women hand stitch footballs for export to
European Clubs, in Muridke they work on shoe uppers destined for malls abroad, and in Karachi they
crop threads off denim jeans for a UK brand.
In textiles, the majority of women are engaged in Cut Trim and Manufacture (CTM) operations as well as
in factories operating sewing machines. Often women get the lowest paying jobs in cropping (cutting
stray threads) and checking (quality control) on the factory floor. Home-based workers are
predominantly women (although not the focus of this study). Third-party contractors are often engaged
to hire labour as peak seasonal orders require a fluid workforce to meet deadlines. Also by having
temporary contract workers, manufacturers avoid legal obligations to pay minimum wage and other
benefits.
The pharmaceutical industry employs women mainly in packing and quality control. Some are employed
in the laboratory and more than two thirds of pharmacy graduates are now women which is an
opportunity for further study.
Much worthy research has been done on the various barriers, inequalities and challenges faced by
women in the labour force. However, the aim of this project was to find effective ways of
communicating the benefits of employing and empowering women to all relevant stakeholders,
especially to employers and to establish women’s employment as good for business, significant for
improving living standards for entire families and critical for Pakistan’s future as a global competitor.
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I. Objectives
This field research and design of the Stakeholder Dialogues, Video of Women at Work and interaction
with employers and women workers, NGOs and trade associations methodology aimed to achieve the
following:
a. Identification of key stakeholders in private, public and non-profit sectors in addition to third-party service providers across Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad and Sialkot
b. Understanding of key constraints inhibiting growth in women’s employment both at the employer and employee level
c. Assessment of willingness of the private sector players to engage more women in the workforce
d. Identification of innovative solutions (if any) by respondents to attract more women in the workforce
e. Engagement with public sector participants to identify key policy levers which support inclusion of women in the workforce
f. Mapping out third parties (private sector and non-profit) which provide ancillary services, both on-site and off-site, which facilitate inclusion of women in the workforce
g. Identification of possible private sector actors, public-private arrangements and third parties interested in investing in this area, with or without signing partnerships with MDF
h. Identification of key themes for the conceptual plan for the engagement workshops
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Chapter 1: Stakeholders
I. Leather Manufacturers
II. Textiles Industry
III. Pharmaceutical Industry
IV. Public Sector, NGOs, Associations and Ancillary Service Providers
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I. Leather (Garments, Accessories, Sports Goods)
Business Name Type
Location Size Contact
Employs Women
Reasons for employment or non-employment
Transport Meals Day Care
MDF Partnership WEE Workshop
Acelin Sports
Cricket Balls
Small 100
Sialkot
CEO: Ch. Aslam
No ▪ Specialised hand stitching
▪ No separate area for women available
Not Applicable No
No
Trade National Corporation
Jackets
Small 80
Sialkot
CEO K. Jahangir
No ▪ Margins too low ▪ Women cannot
travel alone ▪ Specialised
stitching skills required
Not Applicable No
No
The Designer
Jackets
Small 120
Karachi
CEO Syed Shujaat Ali
Yes, only 2-3 ▪ Margins too low ▪ Women cannot
travel alone as it is an industrial zone so public transport very limited
▪ Specialised stitching skills required
Pick n drop for ladies – other workers also share a vehicle rented by an employee
No meals No day care
Yes, Very Interested
Yes
Naz Leather Industries
Safety Gloves
Medium
Sialkot
M. Ashraf Naz, CEO
No, terminated all female employees 4 months ago
▪ Experience was not good as the women were not skilled so higher per unit costs and unit was in loss
▪ Cultural issues with male worker interactions controversial
Not Applicable No
Unlikely
Anwar Khwaja Industries Footballs for export
Large 500+ Sialkot Mohamad Hussain, Production Manager
Yes, 60 -70 Main Unit + 2 village units visited (3 locations visited)
▪ Central city location so women live locally
▪ Women have advantage in hand stitching
▪ Village units predominantly female due to proximity to
Yes: buses pick n drop from numerous central pick up points
Lunch provided free
Some segregated and some mixed areas
Day care in village units only
No - already employing to capacity
Unlikely to
attend WEE Workshop
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Business Name Type
Location Size Contact
Employs Women
Reasons for employment or non-employment
Transport Meals Day Care
MDF Partnership WEE Workshop
homes and male relatives on site
NOVA Leather
Garments Shoes & Bags
Large 1200+
Karachi
Rehan Iqbal, CEO
YES ▪ Peak seasonal nature of orders requires fluid labour supply and overtime to meet deadlines
▪ Specialised skills required for symmetry in leather stitching vs. textile and heavier material to stitch
▪ Women not preferred for tannery work due to heat, effluent and heavy machinery
No Transport as facility is located in centre of residential areas
No meals No day care Side Note: All employees are hired through contractors therefore on piece rates so no extra facilities as above are required to be provided
Yes
Yes
Leather Field Private Limited
Leather Garments
Sohail Ghuman Director Marketing
Large
2700+
Sialkot
No ▪ Seasonal nature of orders requires fluid labour supply and overtime to meet deadlines
▪ Specialised skills required for symmetry in leather stitching vs. textile and heavier material to stitch
▪ Women not preferred for tannery due to heat, effluent and heavy machinery
Not Applicable Side Note: Transport provided for male labour but considered not viable for female workers as facility is out of city and skilled women located nearer city would not wish to travel so far even if transport given.
Not likely to be of practical benefit as nature of work is main constraint and distance
No
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II. Textiles (garments, linen and embroidery)
Business Name Type
Location Size Contact
Employs Women
Reasons for employment or non-employment
Transport Meals Day Care Facilities
MDF Partnership WEE Workshop
Schatz International
Corsets
Small 70+
Sialkot
CEO M Imran
No ▪ Low margins ▪ Seasonal orders
Potential as
separate buildings unoccupied for future female employees
Not Applicable Yes (high)
Possible
Classique Textiles
Bed & Table Linen
Small 50-60
Faisalabad
Mr M Razzaq CEO and family
Yes 10 - in packing & QC
▪ Stitching quality good – attention to detail and discipline
Capacity: has
separate areas and production capacity
Yes: (high) family run business
Yes – good
candidate to elaborate points at workshop
Cosy International (Pvt) Ltd
Linens & Knitted Garments
Medium 700+
Faisalabad
GM Marketing Azhar Iqbal Baig
Yes - but recently closed female unit
Only 4 women retained in QC dept Female Unit was closed down due to higher unit costs due to transport provision. Also females were not as highly skilled.
Separate female workspace + dispensary + child specialist was provided previously
Now unit is outsourced to contractor hiring male workers on piece rate.
Already in collaboration with GIZ for Lean Manufacturing Productivity & Standards
Workshop: No
Town Crier
Label Manufacturers for Garments
Medium 500+
Faisalabad
Mr Mueen Ud Din
Senior Production Manager
Yes – 6 in packing and 9 in quality control (QC)
Work well – not abusive or troublesome but never employed in non-packing areas because of cultural factors. Have an eye for detail.
Mixed hall with separate bathroom and rest area No transport or food for any employee
Yes – can employ 50-60 women by converting packing unit to all female
Workshop
Rajby Textiles
Large 15000+
Karachi
Yes Women have always been employed due to natural affinity for stitching and QC eye for detail
Day care room but NOT being utilised
Transport Healthcare
No – already at capacity
Yes – video participant
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Business Name Type
Location Size Contact
Employs Women
Reasons for employment or non-employment
Transport Meals Day Care Facilities
MDF Partnership WEE Workshop
Mr Masood Niaz, Director
Al Karam
Gul Ahmed
Very Large
Very Large
Yes Yes
Both declined meetings due to Khaadi protests & controversy
Use third-party contractors to hire workers on piece rates and temporary contracts which obviate need for above benefits
Both declined to attend due to Khaadi protests & controversy
III. Pharmaceutical (medicines, herbals and IV’s)
Business Name Type
Location Size Contact
Employs Women
Reasons for employment or non-employment
Transport Meals Day Care Facilities
MDF Partnership WEE Workshop
Medics Laboratories
M. Qayyum CEO
Small
Karachi
YES: 90/200 QC – Product Development & Packaging
▪ Company Mission
▪ Women work diligently
▪ More disciplined and less likely to switch companies
▪ More honest – don’t pilfer items
Yes, pick n drop for ladies
Yes, meals provided
Day care: unaware of legal requirement but plan to now set up if in demand
YES Selected for
Video & KHI workshop
Medipak Limited
Naveed Chowdhry & Naureen Khalid
Executive Directors
Medium 1000+
Lahore
YES: 180-2000 in assembly, packing & QC
▪ Company Mission
▪ Women work diligently
▪ More disciplined and less likely to switch companies
No transport except for over time – labour lives mostly on walking distance
No meals but separate canteen area/timings
No day care but plans to fund facility via CSR
YES Invite to LHE
workshop
Hilton Pharma Large 2000+
Karachi
YES Due to KHAADI controversy Hilton declined to be visited
Invited but declined to attend due to Khaadi controversy
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IV. Public Sector, Associations, NGOs & Ancillary Service Providers
NAME CONTACT KEY POINTS
Ministry of Textile Industry Federal Secretary – Islamabad
Kanwar Usman – Director R&D
Advisory Cell
No specific WEE relevant policies
Ministry of Industries &
Production
Federal Secretary – Gondal
Islamabad & Abdul Ghaffar
Khattak, CEO National
Productivity Organisation
No specific WEE relevant policies
National Commission On The
Status Of Women (NCSW)
Ms. Khawar Mumtaz
Chairperson NCSW Islamabad
Report on Status of Women very in-
depth study and information
Invite for WEE LHE workshop
International Labour
Organisation (ILO)
Syed Saghir Bukhari
Senior Programme Officer
ILO Country Office Islamabad
Very relevant WEE relevant policies and
textile industry specific studies
Invite for WEE LHE workshop
United Nations Industrial
Development Organization
(UNIDO) Islamabad
Esam Alqararah, Country
Representative, UNIDO
Badar ul Islam, Program Officer,
SME & Export Development
Nadia Aftab, National Program
Officer
Setting up Sialkot Tannery Zones
Invite for WEE LHE workshop
Planning Commission of
Pakistan
Islamabad meeting + phone
conversations
Vision 2025 – No gender oriented policies –
only mention of gender in relation to SDG’s
Workshop
Small & Medium Enterprise
Development Authority
(SMEDA)
Ms. Nadia Jahangir General
Manager SMEDA Lahore
Fund and oversee Incubation Centres for
female entrepreneurs mostly home-based
Punjab Govt will be funding day care facilities
for all government offices
Action: provided them with contact
details for Mera Maan
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NAME CONTACT KEY POINTS
Invite for WEE workshop LHE & Panel
Sialkot Chamber Of
Commerce & Industry (SCCI)
Ms. Atqa Arshad Puri R&D Officer Women’s Chamber and Expo held this year
LHE Workshop – leather hub so relevant
Bedaari (NGO) Sideline meeting at ILO
Conference
For profit training programmes for women
Already connected to MDF via Amna
Invite to WEE workshop LHE
Mera Maan (NGO) Shahnaz Kapadia, CEO, Islamabad
(Meeting in Lahore)
Facilitating Sustainable Transformation and
Business Enabling Services – early childhood
development centres – support set up of
ancillary service providers
Invite to WEE workshop LHE
Technical Education &
Vocational Training
Authority (TEVTA)
Waheed Asghar Ch. Director
Apprenticeship Training, Punjab,
TEVTA Sectt - Lahore Ms. Amber
Afzal Chattha Manager
(Placement)
Conduct various technical courses at
institutes with female participants – stitching,
designing and machine stitching
Invite to WEE workshop LHE
Pakistan Leather Garments
Manufacturers Association
(PLGMEA) Chairman South
National Institute of Leather
Technology (NILT)
Chairman: Syed Shujaat Ali
Karachi
As above - Karachi
Invite to WEE Workshop KHI
Can also speak about NILT
Panel KHI
CAREEM transport provider Junaid Iqbal CEO Teleconference: CAREEM willing to provide
discount to women workers in cities in which
they operate
Invite to KHI workshop
Pakistan Institute of Fashion
Design (PIFD) Lahore
Imran Mahmood
Head of Dept.
Dept of Fashion Design
Dept of Leather Accessories &
Footwear
Interesting insights into female student drop-
out rates and cultural barriers to women
going into textile/leather manufacturing
Invite to LHE workshop
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NAME CONTACT KEY POINTS
National Textile University
Dr Abher Rasheed, Head of Dept.
Garment Manufacturing
Faisalabad
Due to logistical difficulties interview had to
be postponed - if time permits it will be
conducted on the phone
Ministry of Human Resource
Development
Islamabad Multiple requests via email and phone –
meeting not granted and no further response
Pakistan Footwear
Manufacturing Association
PFMA
Lahore Multiple attempts to meet with Chairman
Javed Siddiqui but due to his changing travel
dates meeting was not possible
Invite to Lahore Workshop
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Chapter 2: Key Findings
I. Barriers to Women Working
II. Employer Attitudes to WEE
III. Practical Solutions to Facilitate WEE
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I. Barriers to Women Working
Most employers acknowledged that women are better workers. However, many women face
considerable hurdles in taking up formal employment. They do not have enough avenues and training
institutes to pick up new skills. They require safe working conditions and safe transport before they can
get to the factory floor. Family attitudes and societal perceptions also play into the decision for women
to take up work. These barriers are summarized in Figure 1.
These barriers have been researched and documented in many reports and surveys, and were
reinforced by the interviews in this study with employers and women workers citing the above as key
barriers.
Pressure to work near home
Safe cheap reliable transport
Learning new skills & decent
working conditions
Family permission & co-operation
Figure 1: Barriers women have to overcome in order to work
Societal bias against women
working outside the home
The business case for hiring women
workers (productivity, efficiency and
improved culture) is acknowledged by
most employers. So what prevents
them from hiring more women?
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II. Employer Attitudes to WEE
A. Employers want to employ more women
All of the employers interviewed expressed willingness and even a preference to hire more women
workers because their experiences were that women are more disciplined, punctual and productive
compared to young men. They also pay more attention to detail and have natural advantages in
stitching, inspection and packing tasks requiring concentration and attention to detail. Specifically, a
number of employers stated that women were more honest, do not pilfer items or steal designs, poach
ideas for competitors or cause conflicts or disruption compared to male counterparts. They also take
fewer breaks (they don’t smoke), do not loiter or use mobile phones and do not cause disruption.
B. Employers are frustrated by the lack of skilled women workers
Most employers would like to employ more women but are often unable to locate enough skilled
women available locally to their factories. They have to rely on third-party contractors to hire workers
on piece rates or transport piece work to women working in village units or at home (example village
stitching units for football manufacturers in Sialkot).
Lack of appropriate training and skills was found to be a key barrier in employing more women workers
in textiles and the leather sector. (This was not so pertinent to pharmaceuticals, as women are mostly
engaged in packing. In fact, 80% of graduates in pharmacy are now young women.) Most employers
prefer to train workers within their facilities but since women tend to leave when they marry or have
children, this is seen as a lost investment. Investing in factory-based skills training for women and career
development awareness present a partnership opportunity for MDF.
C. Employers rate public sector institutes training as low quality output - they require retraining in
the factory setting
There are several government training institutions including National Institute of Leather Technology
(NILT), Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) and others. Employer reviews of
these institutions were largely negative and those who had received placement candidates from these
institutes said they had to be retrained. In contrast, TEVTA claimed that employers were always
consulted regarding the design of training courses and industry placements were successful. The gap
between these two versions may be because TEVTA did not appear to have a monitoring mechanism
once a candidate goes into a placement. Therefore, mere placement at a manufacturing unit was ticked
off as a success.
This is an important area of further research to identify shortcomings in the design of skills training
courses. Independent results measurement and feedback mechanisms are required to improve training
institute performance. These are potential intervention points to improve courses, student attendance
and incorporate industry feedback.
D. Employers view transport for women as a special provision rather than an important equaliser
Market Development Facility 16
Women are limited to working locally as safe, cheap, reliable transport is not available. Proximity to home also reduces objections of family members and reduces the burden of transport costs for low income women in particular.
III. Practical Solutions to Facilitate WEE
During the course of the field research and stakeholder participation during the WEE workshops the
following emerged as innovative solutions employers use to overcome barriers to women working in
their facilities:
▪ Segregated work spaces minimise interaction between men and women and thus limit opportunities
for harassment. Women feel safer at work as a result and cite this as one of their comfort factors in
having decent working conditions:
- separate entrances and work areas (Servis, MedicsLabs)
- only women or mature gentlemen supervise women workers (all)
- staggered timings for men and women for arrival, departure and meal times (Servis, Footlib and MedicsLabs)
▪ Zero tolerance on harassment means a presumption in favour of the female complainant so that the
mere complaint triggers a dismissal for the harasser. MedicsLabs in Karachi stated their policy as:
“One complaint and you are out!”
▪ Providing transport for women, via subcontractors. This enables employers to bear the cost but
avoid the hassle of running a transport division and remove one of the key obstacles women face.
Families feel secure knowing safe and reliable transport is provided.
▪ Open days for family members to visit factory premises help overcome family objections and
misperceptions about working environments (MediPak Ltd Lahore).
▪ Employing a cluster of women in a particular department creates a sense of community and
sisterhood. Having more mature women to mentor and guide younger women provides a stabilising
influence.
▪ Providing additional benefits such as a marriage fund (MediPak Ltd), healthcare and maternity leave
(MedicLabs) enables women to maintain other roles whilst working.
▪ Ensuring that women can leave by 3 or 4pm to attend to domestic responsibilities and get home
before dark is an essential component in assisting women to feel secure in leaving home to work.
There may be one limitation of this analysis. By international WEE standards some of these measures
may be viewed as based on patriarchal values but the anecdotal evidence shows that women workers
value these as helpful measures for them to overcome issues in the workplace.
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Chapter 3: Recommendations
I. Potential Partnerships
II. Public Policy Levers
III. Ancillary Service Providers
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I. Potential Partnerships
Schatz Corsets of Sialkot produces a range of beautifully designed range of women’s corsets for export, including bespoke designs with intricate sequins and embroidery work for bridal wear, but no women work there. That is because the owner wants to employ women but cannot locate skilled women locally and providing transport will increase unit costs on very tight export margins and stiff Chinese competition.
Schatz Corsets produces corsets for women but not made by women Classique Textiles
Figure 2: Willingness to enter into partnership with MDF and utilise available workspaces for a women-only
stitching unit
Classique Textiles Faisalabad is a factory producing bed linen and stitched kitchen accessories for export.
They said:
“We are a small family run business and have plenty of orders for linen and kitchen
accessories. We want to employ more women but the export margins are just too small
to add the cost of transport. Also it takes about three months to train women on foot
pedalled machines and if they leave for family reasons that money is lost to us.”
Other potential partners are listed in the stakeholders section: The Designer Leather; Nova Leather;
Town Crier; MedicsLabs Pvt. Ltd; MediPak Pvt. Ltd.
These recommendations are based on participant willingness and capacity to employ more women, not
current MDF sector parameters or policies.
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II. Public Policy Levers
Gender targets should not be just numbers
Government departments such as the Planning Commission Vision 2025 and TEVTA all seem to pay lip
service to “gender equality,” the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WEE, but the emphasis is
on tick box measures and numbers on paper rather than targeted policies measured on qualitative as
well as quantitative bases. The result is that though
the TEVTA office board (in Figure 3) shows 174 out of
394 students in attendance as women, the standard
of vocational skills training is actually poor. When
asked whether they have mechanisms to test the
quality of outgoing student skills they said this was
not active. Additionally, the payment of a student
stipend often means that attendance is registered
and students leave the classrooms. Unofficially it is
widely acknowledged that public sector institutions
do not hire appropriately qualified teachers either – a
similar situation was reported about the NILT in
Karachi where modern imported machines lie un-
serviced and idle due to a lack of qualified teachers
and an inefficient administration.
Recommendation: Use influencing events specifically aimed at public sector to encourage and facilitate
results measurement, independent employer feedback and third-party monitoring and evaluation of
government policies.
III. Ancillary Service Providers
A: Skills Training
This represents an important area of further research to identify the gaps in training provision.
Recommendation: Independent results measurement and feedback to the government funded training
institutes are potential intervention points to improve course delivery, student attendance and industry
feedback.
B: Transport
This is usually largely outsourced by factories (except very large entities) to a local van driver who
provides the required number of mini vans or buses to pick and drop women workers (usually to their
homes or central pick and drop points). Larger entities who are located far from residential areas such as
Figure 3: Records from TEVTA
Market Development Facility 20
Leatherfield Pvt. Ltd tannery and leather garment stitching unit in Sialkot provide buses to workers (all
male) to ensure attendance and adherence to punctuality.
Given the preponderance of local small scale mini-van owners, different arrangements are possible. For
example, three mini-vans are provided by a former factory worker to MedicsLabs, as their factory is
located in a very inaccessible part of industrial Karachi, which has also suffered from serious security
issues in the recent past. The mini-van driver has leased three mini-vans and gets a monthly payment
from the factory for pick and drop services. He uses the vehicles during the rest of the day to do school
runs for local private schools. This ensures maximum utilisation of his vehicles, hassle-free transport for
the factory, reduction in overhead costs for the transport department, and employment generation for a
small scale entrepreneur.
Recommendation: Connect employers with small scale local transport providers and perpetuate this
model. Employers can be encouraged to subsidise this facility if they cannot bear the whole cost.
C: Childcare Facilities
During the research period, no child care providers were
located who were providing this as an organised service. This
is due to a lack of demand because:
• Day care is not usually a factor in a woman’s decision to go to work, as most low income women who desperately need to work are from joint family households.
• Young single women or middle aged women are more likely to enter the workforce than mothers with young children.
• Better off educated women also prefer to leave their children in the care of grandparents or extended family, even if they have separate housing.
• Child care services are not yet trusted or seen as a viable alternative to family care.
In a Sialkot stitching unit pictured here in Figure 4, over one hundred women work, but only four children are brought to the on-site child care facility. Recommendation: Focus on child care service
providers is not recommended unless there is an
identified requirement.
Even where facilities are provided
they are underutilised. At a large
textile garment factory in Karachi
the day care lay empty despite
more than 600 women working on
site. The employer provided a
nanny, toys and baby food but
only one woman used the facility
in the past five years during a
household emergency.
Figure 4: Day-care in Sialkot Figure 4: A day care in Sialkot
Market Development Facility 21
Chapter 4: WEE Workshops
I. Core Themes
II. Communicating WEE Benefits
III. Workshop Panellists
IV. Next Steps in WEE Campaign
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I. Core Themes for Engagement
The following themes were highlighted in the video and workshops:
A. Benefits of employing women
B. What women need:
a. Safety at work
b. Transport facilitation
c. Skills training and development
C. Tackling negative societal attitudes against women leaving the home, or having careers, and
others sharing the burden of domestic duties
D. Future focus: women are vital for the Pakistani economy to be competitive and improve the
whole household’s living standards
II. Communicating WEE Benefits
Key Messages
A: Employing women makes good business sense
Video of Women at Work contained testimonials from employers that women are more productive, punctual and efficient. Panellists and attendees agreed with these positive employer perspectives.
Panellists from Servis, Footlib, MedicsLabs and MediPak reinforced this with personal experiences and said that employing more women makes for a more productive workforce and conducive workplace culture. The business case for employing women was highlighted so that employers see this as a business imperative and not as a nod to political correctness.
“It feels safe and secure
to not have men allowed
in our work area: we feel
more comfortable.”
Female worker,
MedicsLabs
Figure 5: Women working in segregated packing area
at MedicsLabs pharmaceutical factory in Karachi
“Having women workers in the
factory even improves the
behaviour of male workers: they
use less bad language and keep
a neater personal appearance.”
Mr S Ali, Employer Leather
Garment Manufacturer
Market Development Facility 23
B: Transport facilitation is an equaliser
When employers provide transport, it removes a huge barrier for women workers, ensures peace of mind, allows for a safe and harassment-free journey to work, reduces time spent commuting, and reduces expenses for women who are usually on minimum wage.
Employers also benefit as this provision reduces absenteeism, tardiness and family concerns about women safely getting to and from work. Employers should be encouraged to view transport provision as an equaliser rather than a special benefit for women.
C: Societal attitudes need to be challenged and changed to value women’s work, talent and aspirations
across all income levels
An estimated 70-80% of female graduates from the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design (PIFD) do not
enter the workforce due to marriage or negative family attitudes about women who work. For the
families, an investment of one million rupees for the degree
seems to serve purposes other than a professional
qualification leading to a career. Even high income urban
families view a PIFD education as a way to improve their
daughters’ marriage prospects rather than career prospects,
thus interrupting their studies if a suitable match appears.
Therefore, PIFD fashion design graduates end up wearing
bridal fashion rather than making a career of it.
D: Pakistan’s economy needs women to be economically empowered to stay competitive
In this day and age, Pakistan cannot afford to ignore its youth bulge as well as half of its population that
is female. Hence engaging women in the workforce is no longer a prerogative but an imperative.
III. WEE Workshop Panellists
Lahore: Tuesday 25th July 2017
• Mr. Qadeer: General Manager Operations, Servis Muridke
• Mr. Wasim Zakaria: Footlib & PFMA Committee
• Ms. Tanya Bhutta: SMEDA Lahore
• Mr. Nasir Choudhry: Director, MediPak Ltd
“My friend and I share a taxi but it is
very expensive. He charges us Rs 1,500
each per month and we only get Rs
14,000 salary so that is a big chunk.
But we have to do it to ensure we have
a reliable way to get to work.”
Huma, Quality Control worker at Town
Crier - Label Manufacturer, Faisalabad
“Some even leave in the third or
fourth year if they get engaged or
married thus wasting a coveted spot
on the four-year degree course.”
PIFD Course Director
Market Development Facility 24
Karachi: Thursday 27th July 2017
• Mr. Shujaat Ali: CEO, The Designer Leather & Chairman of PLGMEA South
• Ms. Zeenia Shaukat: Researcher on labour issues in the textile sector, and journalist
• Ms. Nazish Shekha: CERC Consultant
• Mr. Mohammad Qayyum: CEO of MedicsLabs Pvt. Ltd
• Mr. Qadeer: General Manager Operations, Servis Muridke
IV. Next Steps in WEE Campaign
The purpose of the workshops was to engage the manufacturing sector in three key industries that
employ the largest proportion of women in Pakistan and to influence them to employ more women as a
business case and improve the manner in which they engage women.
Follow up interactions will be aimed at monitoring and evaluating how employers build upon the
workshop initiatives on their own and whether MDF can and should engage some of them as partners to
further the WEE programme.
MDF will continue engaging with stakeholders to gauge how to facilitate employer efforts either through
further workshops or as MDF partners.
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REFERENCES UN Women Pakistan http://pakistanunwomen.org UN Women’s Economic Participation and Empowerment in Pakistan: Status Report 2016 ILO publication for excellent overview of labour legislation in Pakistan: Pakistan Decent Work Country Profile 2014 http://www.ilo.org/islamabad/whatwedo/publications/WCMS_316668/lang--en/index.htm National Commission on the Status of Women NCSW http://www.ncsw.gov.pk/ Ministry of Planning Development & Reform http://www.pc.gov.pk/ Vision 2025 & SDG’s Pakistan Credit Rating Agency http://www.pacra.com.pk/pages/research/web_sector_study/textile/Textile_Mar_11.pdf Ministry of Textile Industry http://www.textile.gov.pk/ Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry https://www.kcci.com.pk/ Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry http://scci.com.pk/ Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry http://www.fcci.com.pk/ NOTE: All photographs have been taken by the author.
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APPENDIX
I. Interview Questionnaires
Stakeholder Engagement Workshops
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I. Interview Questionnaires
Employer Questions
1. How many women employees do you have?
▪ What % of total?
▪ In which area of the business are the female workers?
▪ Segregated work area/eating/entrance/toilets
Details of which ancillary providers are available:
▪ Transport
▪ Day care
▪ Health care
▪ Training
▪ Financial services
2. What role do you think women can play in the workplace?
Can you quantify or explicitly state the benefit of hiring women?
3. Do you face any barriers when hiring women? Or do you anticipate any issues or challenges
when you think of hiring more women?
▪ External (market, local area, religious or cultural perceptions)
▪ Government or industry requirements/policies
▪ Internal organisational culture
4. Has a buyer ever enquired about the level of women’s employment at your company or
required any standard?
5. What would lead you to hire more women?
▪ Financial/donor support
▪ Productivity gains
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▪ Gender balance/progressive brand/CSR
▪ Specific buyer requirement
6. Do you know of any business in or outside your industry which is a good role model for
employing women?
7. Would you be interested in partnering with other organisations in order to employ more female
workers?
Employee Questions (Female)
1. How long have you been working here?
2. Why did you decide to join the workforce?
3. Married/children/education level/family circumstances
4. What do you get?
▪ Pay (weekly/monthly)
▪ health care/day care/ leave/ meals (paid/subsidised)
▪ training
▪ transport
5. What do you like about working here?
▪ Income level
▪ Benefits
▪ Independence
▪ Family status
6. What would you like to see improve - further benefits/facilities?
7. What would make it easier to work here?
8. What is your family reaction to you working?
9. What would enable more women from your neighbourhood or relatives to start working at such
establishments?
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10. Would you work more hours for increased pay?
11. Would you like training for the next level?
12. How many years do you see yourself working?
Employee Questions (Male)
1. How do/would you feel about working alongside female colleagues?
▪ What are the benefits of having women in the workplace?
▪ What are the challenges of working with women?
2. How would you feel about being supervised or managed by a female?
Public Sector/NGO/Associations Questions
1. What is your mission in this department/organisation?
2. What role do you see for female workers in your organisation’s mission?
3. What does the phrase “women’s economic empowerment” mean in your organisation?
4. What policies do you have to encourage businesses to employ more women?
5. Can you give me an example of a business you think is a good role model for providing
employment opportunities for women?
6. Why do you think Pakistan has fallen behind regional competitors like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
in employing women in manufacturing?
7. What do you think is required to change this situation? External and internal factors.
8. Are you concerned that international brands are becoming more aware of gender issues?
9. Do you have any specific budgets allocated for women’s economic empowerment?
▪ Details of project and results if any
10. Has any NGO or international organisation/government department approached or partnered
with your department on women’s economic empowerment?