Gender committee raises concerns over low women representation in govt sector

ISLAMABAD: In a grim revelation of gender disparities within Pakistan’s federal government, a special committee chaired by Dr Nafisa Shah has highlighted the abysmally low representation of women across various governmental bodies and departments.

According to the data presented during a meeting of the Gender Mainstreaming Committee, women’s representation remains below the targeted 33% benchmark.

The statistical breakdown reveals alarming statistics: in the federal secretariat, women constitute only 8.08% of total employees; constitutional bodies show a mere 5.30% female representation; departments and subordinate offices have just 5.92% women; autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies report only 5.71% female participation. Further, out of 357 federal entities, only 41 boards have achieved the 33% women representation target, 88 board constitutions are currently in process and 132 entities still have no established board.

The Gender Mainstreaming Committee has proposed several key recommendations. It has sought the completion of the constitution of boards with 33% women representation within three months and provision of amenities for women in all public offices. Further, it has recommended that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics be strengthened for accurate gender parity data collection.

The committee has also noted several positive steps, including: establishment of day care centers in all public sector entities, provision of separate prayer halls, washrooms, and common rooms in 42 ministries/divisions and proposals to convert underutilised departmental buses into dedicated transport services for women employees in Islamabad.