Reducing the Gender Gap in Muslim Societies:

The Case of Pakistan

Ana Komnenic, Anita Tavra, Eliana ChiaDr. Muhammad Iqbal

The Maria-Helena Foundationwww.mariahelenafoundation.org

What is ‘equality’ ?

Equal access to “opportunities that allow people to pursue a life of their own

choosing and to avoid extreme deprivations in outcomes”

(World Development Report, 2006)

• It measures gaps not levels

Female MaleCountry A) 20% 40%Country B) 40% 80%

Country C) 20% 20%

Countries A and B both have a gap of 0.5

Country C has no gap

Why reduce the Gender Gap?

• It’s a basic human right

• Freedom from male control

• Better health care

• More participants in the economy = economic growth

• Improved work/life balance for both women and men

Global Gender Gap

• Report of the World Economic Forum (2010)

• Based on four pillars:– Economic attainment– Political participation– Health – Education

Examples of Sub-indices

Bangladesh

Pakistan

Rankings – some comparisons

COUNTRY 2010 RANKNorway 2Philippines 9Canada 20The Gambia* 75Bangladesh* 82Japan 94Saudi Arabia* 129Pakistan* 132Yemen* 134

*Muslim majority countries

Gender Gap in Muslim Societies

The Muslim world

Why is the gender gap so high?

o Cultureo Religiono Structural and systemic

barrierso Varying levels of

socioeconomic developmento Varying levels of

democratization

Culture

• Combination of local pre-existing, pre-Islamic cultures

• Dictated by morals and values influenced by pre-existing practices and religion

• A foundation for the way of life: social, political, economic

Religion

• Interpretive nature – various manifestation of religiosity in secular and traditional states (Bosnia vs. Saudi Arabia)

• Used to support discriminatory attitudes and policies

• Absolutist values on social roles, sexuality, morality

• In some places, immune from public scrutiny and challenge

Structural/Systemic

• Traditional vs. secular governments• Various types of governance • Influence of clerics, religious/moral

police• Culture and religion serve as

foundations upon which systemic structures are formed and upheld

Socioeconomic development

• Low literacy impacts women’s access to reproductive and general health

• Low literacy correlates with maternal and child health/mortality

• Rural areas: problems of infrastructure• High fertility and poverty mean that families

would prefer to send boys to school in many cases

• Families may be forbidden to or choose not to send their daughters to school

Democratization

• Laws and policies which support girls and women are not always enforced

Example: Women in Saudi Arabia and Iran have high levels of literacy but very low work sector participation

Example: Women in Saudi Arabia will be able to vote, but cannot drive or be alone without male supervision

What can governments do?

• Invest in schools, teachers, egalitarian curriculum development, and scholarships

• Expand access to public education by removing fees which many parents cannot afford

• Promote equality*• Provide equal opportunities for men and

women to be educated and to work together as equals to build a healthy society