policy brief on female labor force participation in ... labor force participation in pakistan is...

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Despite increases in recent years, female labor force participation in Pakistan, at 25%, is well below rates for countries with similar income levels. Even among women with high levels of education, labor force participation lags: only around 25% of women with a university degree in Pakistan are working. This low female labor force participation represents a major loss of potential productivity. It also has important implications for women’s empowerment, as working women are more likely to play a role in household decision making compared with nonworking women in the same villages or even in the same families. The study found that many women in Pakistan would like to work; there are multiple reasons why they do not. One of the key reasons—on which policy could have an effect—is that women face restrictions on their physical mobility outside the home. Several interconnected factors restrict women’s mobility outside the home, among them (i) social, cultural, and religious norms; (ii) safety and crime; and (iii) the quality of available transport services. POLICY BRIEF ON FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION IN PAKISTAN 1 INTRODUCTION In Pakistan, women work primarily in the home or on the farm. Their participation in work outside these areas, particularly in formal employment, is extremely low. It is possible that some forms of work by Pakistani women may be undercounted in surveys, as a large proportion of survey respondents may be working in agriculture or doing informal work at home, which is not counted and reported as work. However, the study analysis of the 2007 Pakistan Time Use Survey suggests that this is not a major driver of the patterns. 2 The survey evidence clearly indicates that a very low proportion of Pakistani women work outside the home, where best-paid work opportunities abound. FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION TREND Female labor force participation in Pakistan is still well below levels in other countries with similar incomes (Figure 1), despite growing by more than half over the past 2 decades. Even among women with a high level of education, labor force participation is low—only about 25% of Pakistani women who have a university degree work outside the home. Women’s low labor force participation results in a significant potential loss of productivity. To be sure, female labor force participation in Pakistan has grown alongside gross domestic product (GDP) over time (Figure 2), with economic growth bringing in opportunities and working women contributing to overall production. 1 This brief, prepared by Sakiko Tanaka and Maricor Muzones, summarizes the Female Labor Force Participation in Asia: Pakistan Country Study, prepared by Professor Erica Field and Postdoctoral Associate Kate Vyborny from Duke University under the Asian Development Bank’s Research and Development Technical Assistance 8620 on Economic Analysis for Gender and Development. 2 The Pakistan Time Use Survey 2007 (sample size 19,000 households) is representative of all four major provinces in Pakistan. The survey includes questions to measure the impact of women’s labor force participation on their well-being such as hours of market work, work at home, and rest. ADB BRIEFS NO. 70 OCTOBER 2016 KEY MESSAGES ISBN 978-92-9257-625-7 (Print) ISBN 978-92-9257-626-4 (e-ISBN) ISSN 2071-7202 (Print) ISSN 2218-2675 (e-ISBN) Publication Stock No. ABF168495-2

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• Despiteincreasesinrecentyears,femalelaborforceparticipationinPakistan,at25%,iswellbelowratesforcountrieswithsimilarincomelevels.Evenamongwomenwithhighlevelsofeducation,laborforceparticipationlags:onlyaround25%ofwomenwithauniversitydegreeinPakistanareworking.

• Thislowfemalelaborforceparticipationrepresentsamajorlossofpotentialproductivity.Italsohasimportantimplicationsforwomen’sempowerment,asworkingwomenaremorelikelytoplayaroleinhouseholddecisionmakingcomparedwithnonworkingwomeninthesamevillagesoreveninthesamefamilies.

• ThestudyfoundthatmanywomeninPakistanwouldliketowork;therearemultiplereasonswhytheydonot.Oneofthekeyreasons—onwhichpolicycouldhaveaneffect—isthatwomenfacerestrictionsontheirphysicalmobilityoutsidethehome.

• Severalinterconnectedfactorsrestrictwomen’smobilityoutsidethehome,amongthem(i)social,cultural,andreligiousnorms;(ii)safetyandcrime;and(iii)thequalityofavailabletransportservices.

Policy Brief on female laBor force ParticiPation in Pakistan1

introduction

InPakistan,womenworkprimarilyinthehomeoronthefarm.Theirparticipationinworkoutsidetheseareas,particularlyinformalemployment,isextremelylow.ItispossiblethatsomeformsofworkbyPakistaniwomenmaybeundercountedinsurveys,asalargeproportionofsurveyrespondentsmaybeworkinginagricultureordoinginformalworkathome,whichisnotcountedandreportedaswork.However,thestudyanalysisofthe2007PakistanTimeUseSurveysuggeststhatthisisnotamajordriverofthepatterns.2ThesurveyevidenceclearlyindicatesthataverylowproportionofPakistaniwomenworkoutsidethehome,wherebest-paidworkopportunitiesabound.

female laBor force ParticiPation trend

FemalelaborforceparticipationinPakistanisstillwellbelowlevelsinothercountrieswithsimilarincomes(Figure1),despitegrowingbymorethanhalfoverthepast2decades.Evenamongwomenwithahighlevelofeducation,laborforceparticipationislow—onlyabout25%ofPakistaniwomenwhohaveauniversitydegreeworkoutsidethehome.

Women’slowlaborforceparticipationresultsinasignificantpotentiallossofproductivity.Tobesure,femalelaborforceparticipationinPakistanhasgrownalongsidegrossdomesticproduct(GDP)overtime(Figure2),witheconomicgrowthbringinginopportunitiesandworkingwomencontributingtooverallproduction.

1 Thisbrief,preparedbySakikoTanakaandMaricorMuzones,summarizestheFemale Labor Force Participation in Asia: Pakistan Country Study,preparedbyProfessorEricaFieldandPostdoctoralAssociateKateVybornyfromDukeUniversityundertheAsianDevelopmentBank’sResearchandDevelopmentTechnicalAssistance8620onEconomicAnalysisforGenderandDevelopment.

2 ThePakistanTimeUseSurvey2007(samplesize19,000households)isrepresentativeofallfourmajorprovincesinPakistan.Thesurveyincludesquestionstomeasuretheimpactofwomen’slaborforceparticipationontheirwell-beingsuchashoursofmarketwork,workathome,andrest.

ADBBRIEFSno. 70

OCTOBER 2016

key messaGes

ISBN978-92-9257-625-7(Print)ISBN978-92-9257-626-4(e-ISBN)ISSN2071-7202(Print)ISSN2218-2675(e-ISBN)PublicationStockNo.ABF168495-2

2

ADBBRIEFSNO.70

morelikelyabletoinsistonworking).Butthefactthattheeffectpersistsevenwhencomparingwomeninthesamehouseholdsuggeststhatworkhasanempoweringeffect.Ray(2000)observesthatinhouseholdssurveyedinanationallyrepresentative1991sample,children’soverallshareofhouseholdearningswasonlyslightlylessthanthatofwomen.Hearguesthatbecauseofculturalorreligiousrestrictionsagainstwomenworkingoutsidethehome,householdsinPakistanrelymoreonchildlabor,especiallythatofboys—afindingthatsuggeststhatincreasingfemalelaborforceparticipationmightdecreasechildlabor.

Moreimportantly,womeninPakistandonottakeuppaidemploymentbecauseofmobilityrestrictionsresultingfrombothculturalandsocialnormsandsecurityconcerns.

Almost40%ofwomenwhoarenotworkingreportthatthemainreasonforthisisthatmalefamilymembersdonotpermitthemtoworkoutsidethehome.Another15%saythatitisbecausetheythemselvesdonotwanttoworkoutsidethehome.Amongwomenwhosaythattheywouldbewillingtowork,aboutathirdsaythattheywouldbewillingtoworkonlywithintheirownhome.Particularlytellingisthat,ofthosewhodowork,30%workintheirownhome.Eventhosewomenwhodoleavehometoworkdonottravelasfartotheirworkplaceasmendo.

Veryfewwomenindicatethattheyare“available”towork(Figure3),andalmostnonereportactivelyseekingwork.Yet,Figure4showsthat40%ofwomenwhoarenotemployedreportthattheydidnothaveenoughtodointhepreviousday.Thesepatternsaresimilaramongnonemployedwomeninurbanandruralareas.

Paidworkmayalsobringotherimportantbenefits,particularlyinincreasingwomen’sdecision-makingpowerinthehousehold.Basedonanalysisofnationaldata,Fatima(2014)findsthatwomenwhoworkaremorelikelythanothersinthesamevillagetohaveasayinwhethertousecontraception(controllingforvillagefixedeffects),andmorelikelythanotherwomeninthesamehouseholdtohaveasayinhouseholdexpenditures(controllingforhouseholdfixedeffects).Itispossiblethatcausationrunsintheoppositedirection(thatwomenwhohaveastrongerpositioninthehouseholdare

Figure 1: Female Labor Force Participation and GNI per Capita Worldwide

Figure 2: Income and Female Labor Force Participation

Figure 3: Availability for Work

PRC=People’sRepublicofChina,LFPR=laborforceparticipationrate,GNI=grossnationalincome.Note:Labordataforages15+excludestheMiddleEast.Source:forGNI:WorldBank;forLFPR:InternationalLabourOrganization(2013).

FLFP=femalelaborforceparticipation,GDP=grossdomesticproduct.Sources:InternationalLabourOrganization(2014);WorldBank(2014).

Source:PakistanBureauofStatistics.LabourForceSurvey2009-10.http://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/labour-force-survey-2009-10

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Policy Brief on Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan

3

Figure5showsthatresponsesdiffersignificantlywhenwomenareaskedaslightlydifferentquestion:“Wouldyouworkifyoucouldfindasuitablejob?”Approximatelyaquarterofthewomenanswered“yes.”Ifallofthesewomenworked,thiswouldconceivablydoublefemalelaborforceparticipationinPakistan.Similarproportionsofwomenanswer“yes”tothisquestioninbothruralandurbanareas,eveninthemostsociallyconservativeprovinces,whereactualfemalelaborforceparticipationisverylow(Figure6).Sothequestionremains,whatmakesa“suitable”job?

WaGe

Onepotentialexplanationforlowfemalelaborforceparticipationisthatthejobsavailabletowomenpaylowwages.Womenearnlessthanmen,andthisdifferencehasbeenpersistent(Figure7).3

Wagediscriminationisapossibleexplanationforthispatternbutisdifficulttodistinguishempiricallyfromdifferencesinskillsandexperience.Occupationalsegregationofwomenincombinationwithlowdemandintheoccupationsconsideredsuitableforwomenisanother.Cheemaetal.(2012)findthatalargepercentageoffirmshirenowomenatall,makingitconsistentwithstronggendernormsonthetypeofworktakenupandalsowithspecificcostsperceivedbyemployersforhavingwomenintheworkplace,suchasthecostofensuringtheirsecurity.Marketreturnstoeducationappeartobehighlyconvexforwomen.Basedonthedescriptivepatterns(Figure8),returnstoeducationthroughincreasedwagesareextremelylowfortheprimaryandmiddlelevelsofeducationandhigherforupperlevelsofeducation.Onlyattheverylaststagesofsecondaryandtertiaryeducationdowomen’swagesshowasignificantincrease.Itisalsoimportanttonotethatwomen’slaborforceparticipationisstillverylow,evenathighereducationallevelswherethereturnsaregreaterandwherewomenappeartobeabletoaccesshigher-levelwhitecollarjobs.During2000–2007,stillonly25%ofwomenwithanadvanceddegreeuseditinthelaborforce.

3 Notethatallwagesarecalculatedonanhourlybasisusingtherespondent’sreportedworkhoursinthelastweek,sotheyadjustfordifferencesinworkhours.

Figure 4: Perception of Activity the Previous Day Figure 6: Willingness to Work—Ever-Married Women

Figure 5: Willingness to Work—Ever-Married Women

Source:PakistanBureauofStatistics.TimeUseSurvey2007.http://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/time-use-survey-2007

Source:NationalInstituteofPopulationStudies.2008.Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2006–07.Islamabad.https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR200/FR200.pdf

Source:NationalInstituteofPopulationStudies.2008.Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2006–07.Islamabad.https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR200/FR200.pdf

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ADB BRIEFS NO. 70

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norms and exPosure

Gendernormsclearlyhavesomeroletoplayinrestrictingwomen’slaborforceparticipationinPakistan,eitherbykeepingwomenathomeentirely,orbyconfiningtheirlaborforceparticipationonlytocertainacceptableoccupations.Menareseenastheprimarybreadwinners,andmostpeopleagreethatifjobsarescarce,employersshouldfavormen;thisistrueforwomenalmostasmuchasformen.Itholdsacross(self-identified)socioeconomicclasses.Educationmightbeexpectedtochangethisview,butinfactmoreeducatedrespondentsareonlyslightlylesslikelytoagreewiththisstatement.

Butbeyondasimplepreferenceformen’saccesstoworkopportunities,women’sworkisgenerallyactivelystigmatizedinPakistan.Womenwhogooutsidethehometoworkarenotconsidered“respectable”inmanysocialcontexts(WorldBank2006).Sincethisstigmaaffectsthewholefamily,otherdecisionmakersinthefamily—suchasthewoman’shusbandorin-laws—mayrestrictawoman’sdecisionofwhethertoworkoutsidethehome.Figure9showsthatinthevastmajorityofcases,womenreportthattheydonotevenplayaroleindecidingtoseekpaidemployment.AsFigure10shows,thedegreeofcontrolthatawomanretainsoverthedecisiontoseekemploymentisstronglycorrelatedtowhethersheparticipatesinthelaborforce.

Figure 7: Trend in Wage Gap

Figure 8: Gender Wage Gap by Education

Figure 9: Who Decides Whether a Woman Will Work?

Figure 10: Who Decides Whether a Woman Will Work? (Conditional on Women’s Participation in

the Labor Force)

PR=Pakistanirupee.Source:PakistanBureauofStatistics.LabourForceSurvey2009-10.http://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/labour-force-survey-2009-10

PR=Pakistanirupee.Source:PakistanBureauofStatistics.LabourForceSurvey2009-10.http://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/labour-force-survey-2009-10

Source:PakistanBureauofStatistics.PakistanSocialandLivingStandardsMeasurementSurvey2005–06National/Provincial.http://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/pakistan-social-and-living-standards-measurement-survey-pslm-2005-06-national-provincial

Source: PakistanBureauofStatistics.PakistanSocialandLivingStandardsMeasurementSurvey2005–06National/Provincial.http://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/pakistan-social-and-living-standards-measurement-survey-pslm-2005-06-national-provincial/

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Policy Brief on Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan

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moBility

ThesamefactorsthatmakesomeworkplacesinPakistansafeor“appropriate”forwomenalsoaffectwomen’smobility.Asnoted,andastheexistingliteratureandsurveydataindicate,women’slimitedmobilityoutsidethehomebecauseofculturalnormsandsecurityconcernsgreatlyaffectsfemalelaborforceparticipation.Eveniftheworkenvironmentitselfisconsideredsafeandacceptable,travelingtoworkmaycreatealevelofexposurethatviolatesnorms(Ali2012,WorldBank2006).Forexample,inasmall(nonrepresentative)surveyofwomeninKarachiwhotravelregularly,85%ofworkingwomensaidtheyhadbeenharassedonpublictransportinthepastyear(ADB2014).Mostoftheharassmentwasperpetratedbymalepassengers,butaboutaquarterofwomenalsoreportedbeingharassedbyvehicledriversorconductors.Inaddition,socialtaboospreventwomenfromridingbicyclesormotorcyclesbythemselves,makingthemdependentonmalerelativestousethesemodesoftransport.

Thislimitsboththeabilityofurbanwomentoleavethehomeaswellastheabilityofruralwomentomoveoutsideoftheirvillageorevensubvillagesettlementforwork.Thesamefactorslimittheabilityofyoungerwomentoattendfurthereducationorvocationaltraining,whichcouldleadtobetterworkopportunities.

Ejaz(2007)findsthatfemalelaborforceparticipationispositivelyassociatedwithvehicleownershipinthehousehold,despitethefactthatotherhouseholddurablesarenegativelyassociated.ThismaysimplycapturetheU-shapedrelationshipbetweenwealthandfemalelaborforceparticipation,butitmayalsoreflectamobilityeffect—womenwhosefamiliesowncarscantraveltoworkmoreeasilywithoutencounteringharassmentorstigma.SeveralrecentstudiesonsocialandeconomicissuesinPakistanneverthelessshedlightonthisissuealthoughtheydonotspecificallyfocusonwomen’slaborforceparticipation.4

Figure11showsthatevenwomenwhosaytheyarecurrentlyavailableforworkarefarmorerestrictedintheirworklocationthanmen.Aboutathirdofthesewomensaytheyareonlyavailabletoworkwithinthehome,whichseverelyrestrictstheopportunitiestheycouldtakeup.Oftheremainingwomen,mostareavailableonlywithintheirownvillageortown.Inrecentyears,women’savailabilityoutsidethehomehasincreased;theiravailabilityisalsomuchgreaterformoreeducatedwomen(Figure12).

Figure13showsthatdistrictswithhigherlevelsofwomen’smobilityhavemuchhigherfemalelaborforceparticipation.Thecategoriesonthex-axisarebasedonthedistrict-levelaverageofotherwomen

4 JacobyandMansuri(2011),intheirstudyofcasteandclaneffectsoneducationinPakistan,findthatparentsaremuchlesslikelytosendtheirgirlstoschooliftheschoolislocatedacrosscasteboundarieswithinavillage;Cheemaetal.(2012)findthatmanyhouseholdswerewillingtonominatefemalemembersforvocationaltraining,buttransporttothevenueofthetraininghasbeenanimportantconstraintwheretherisksforsafetyandlossofreputationinvolvedinphysicallytravelingtothelocationisabindingconstraint.

(excludingtherespondent’sownobservation)whotraveledoutsidethehomeanywhereforanypurposeinthepreviousday.Awomanismorelikelytoworkindistrictswhereotherwomentravelmore.

Onemightexpectthatwomeninurbanareaswouldbemorelikelytowanttoworkoutsidethehome,andtobemoremobile.Infact,thisisnotthecaseinPakistan.Womeninurbanareasaresomewhatlesslikelytoindicatethattheyareavailableforwork.Inaddition,iftheyareavailable,theyindicatesomewhatlesswillingnesstoworkoutsidethehome(Figure14).Unwillingnesstotakecertaintypesofworkislikelydueinparttothenewchallengesthaturbanizationcancreateforwomen’smobility—travelingtoworkcanmeangreateranonymity,publicexposure,andcrowdingwithstrangers.

Figure 11: Locations Available for Work (Conditional on Availability)

Figure 12: Locations Available for Work (Conditional on Availability): Women

Source:PakistanBureauofStatistics.Variousyearsfrom1990to2007.PakistanLabourForceSurveys.Islamabad.

Source:PakistanBureauofStatistics.Variousyearsfrom1990to2010.PakistanLabourForceSurveys.Islamabad.

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ADB BRIEFS NO. 70

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Policy recommendations

Thestudysuggestsanumberofkeypolicyareasthatmayaffectfemalelaborforceparticipationeitherdirectlyorindirectlythroughincreasingwomen’sphysicalmobility.Interventionsintheseareasneedtoberigorouslytestedasmanyarenotstudiedadequately.Tosufficientlyinformthebestpolicies,programdesigns,andspendingallocationsforenhancingPakistan’sfemalelaborforceparticipation,asetofstudiesneedstobeconductedtoquantifytheirbenefitsandcosts.TheinterventionsmayeitherattempttochangetheexistingnormsinPakistanoreasekeyconstraintsbyworkingaroundthoseexistingnorms.Policyinterventionsthatdothelattercouldincreasefemalelaborforceparticipationintheshortterm,andbydoingso,coulddevelopthepotentialtochangethenormsinthelongtermthroughsocialexposure.Policychangescouldincreasefemalelaborforceparticipationinthefollowingareas:

• changing norms

Evidencefromothercountriessuggeststhatexposuretovisiblerolemodelsofwomenworkingorinleadershiprolescanchangenorms,suchasFogliandVeldkamp(2011).Twopolicyinterventionsinparticularmaybeconsideredtotargetnormsdirectly:(i)initiativesthatbringwomenintopublicleadershippositionssuchastheongoingRuralSupportProgrammesNetwork,inwhichtheAsianDevelopmentBank(ADB)andotherinstitutionaldonorsassisteffortstoinvolvePakistaniwomeninlocalcivilsocietyleadership.RigorousresearchcurrentlybeingundertakenbyGhazalaMansuriandcollaboratorsseekstotesttheimpactofsucheffortsonwomen’sempowermentandsocialnorms;and(ii)mediainterventionstopromoteamorepositiveimageofwomen’swork,andthentestedandevaluated.Thespreadofmediahasbeenshowntohavepositiveeffectsonwomen’sempowerment.Inparticular,JensenandOster(2009)findthattheintroductionofcabletelevisionacrossnewareasofruralIndianotonlylessenedtheacceptabilityofdomesticviolenceandsonpreference,butalsoincreasedwomen’sautonomy.

• making more Workplaces ‘suitable’

SexualharassmentintheworkplaceiswidespreadinPakistan.InKarachi,whichisgenerallythoughttobethecitywithsocialnormsmostfavorabletowomen’swork,96%ofthefemalerespondentsinastudyof10privateand10publicinstitutionsreportedthateithertheyortheircolleagueshadfacedsexualharassmentintheworkplace(Sadruddin2013).ExistingjobopportunitiescanthereforebemademoreacceptableforwomeninPakistanbyimprovingtheworkplaceenvironment.In2010,Pakistanpassedanewlawagainstsexualharassmentintheworkplace.Sadruddin’sstudyshowedthatonly2%ofrespondentswereawareofthislaw.Publiclistingsalsoindicatethatveryfewworkplaces,whetherpublicandprivate,havesofarcompliedwiththesetwobasicrequirementsofthelaw—discussingthepolicyinamanagementmeeting,andpostinginformationaboutthelawintheworkplace.

Usingthislegislationasabasis,theInternationalLabourOrganizationandotheragenciesareimplementingprogramstoimproveworkplaceenvironment.Evaluatingtheimpactoftheseprogramsontherecruitmentandretentionofqualifiedfemaleworkerswillbeveryuseful.

• increasing demand for female Workers in sectors with attractive Jobs

Anumberofpromisingkeypolicyleverscouldincreasefemalelaborforceparticipationevenwithoutamajorchangeinnormsrestrictingthekindofworkappropriateforwomen.Onthedemandside,policiescanbetargetedtoincreaselabordemandinparticulartypesofjobsinwhichwomenaremorelikelytowork.Alsolikelytohaveastrongereffectonfemalelaborforceparticipationistoexpand

Figure 13: District-Level Female Mobility and Employment

Figure 14: Locations Available to Women for Work (Conditional on Availability)

Note:X-axisshowspercentageofothersurveyedwomeninthedistrict(excludingownobservation)whotraveledforanypurposeonthereferenceday.Source:PakistanTimeUseSurvey2007.

Source:PakistanBureauofStatistics.Variousyearsfrom1990to2010.PakistanLabourForceSurveys.Islamabad.

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Policy Brief on Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan

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demandinparticulartypesofmanufacturing(suchastextileandapparel)andwhite-collarjobs(suchasinprofessionalservices),giventherestrictionsonacceptableworkplaceenvironmentsforwomenandthefactthatthereishigherlaborparticipationofwomenwiththehighestlevelsofeducation.Allofthesepolicyinitiativesrequireawiderangeofinterventionsacrossdifferentpolicyareas,suchasimprovingthereliabilityofelectricitysupply,butafulldiscussionofthemisbeyondthescopeofthispaper.

• education: Preparing Women for Jobs they are Willing to take up

Inthecontextofthesocialnormsdiscussedearlier,white-collarworkisconsideredmoreacceptableforwomeninPakistan.Sinceeducationincreasestheiraccesstothesejobs,secondaryandtertiaryeducationwouldbeparticularlyimportantforincreasingwomen’slaborforceparticipation.Itisthereforenotsurprisingthatmuchoftheexistingresearchoneducationhasfocusedprimarilyonprimaryandmiddlelevelsofeducation,withlittleresearchandpolicyattentiongiventowomen’saccesstohigherlevelsofeducation.

Lowerlevelsofeducationarealsoimportantandshouldcontinuetobeanareaoffocus.Educationhasmanypurposesbeyondpreparingpeopleforthelabormarket,andattainmentandqualityarealsorequiredattheprimaryandmiddlelevelsforyoungwomentoprogresstohigherlevels.Inaddition,educationatanylevelmaychangethenormsrestrictingwomen’sworkandmobility.

Thequalityandrelevanceofvocationaltrainingforwomenshouldalsoberigorouslyassessed,consideringthehighdegreeofoccupationalsegregationinPakistanandthelowfemalelaborforceparticipationlevelsatmiddlelevelsofeducation.Anumberofthecross-sectionalstudieshavemaderecommendationstoexpandvocationaltrainingforwomen,butthereseemstobelittlesupportforthisbasedontheirempiricalfindings.

• security and criminal Justice

Interventionsfocusedonsecurity,criminaljustice,andcrimeandpublicsafetyareclearlycriticalindeterminingfemalelaborforceparticipation.Theissuesofphysicalsafetytheyaddressareinterlinkedwithnormsthataffectwomen’smobilityandlaborforceparticipation.Indeed,ifwomenareconfidentthattheycantraveltoandfromworksafely,theymaybemuchmorelikelytoconsidertakingupworkoutsidethehome.

Improvingpublicsafetyforwomeniscrucialtoimprovetheirmobility.Institutionally,women’srepresentationisalsoimportant;whenwomengetintoleadershippositions,crimesagainstwomenarereportedmorefrequently(Iyeretal.2012).IfandwhenthelocalgovernmentsystemisrevivedinPakistan,thiswouldbeanotherreasontokeepthewomen’sreservationsinthatsystem.

• transportation

Publictransportationandcityinfrastructuredevelopmentisanotherpolicytoolparticularlyrelevantforenhancingwomen’smobilityinPakistan.Theycouldalleviatesomeoftheproblemswomenfaceinpursuingworkopportunities.Givenstrongnormsalmosteverywhereinthecountryagainstwomenridingbicyclesormotorbikesalone,mostwomendependentirelyonpublictransporttocommute.Yetthereisnostate-providedtransportationinmostcities,anditiscompletelyabsentfromruralareas.Inrural,peri-urban,andurbanareas,theexistingpublicandprivatetransportservicesarecrowdedwithmen;inasocietywhereclosecontactbetweenthesexesistaboo,ridingthemisamajorsocialobstacleforwomen.

ThecurrentADB-supportedexpansionoftransportservicesinPakistanprovidesanopportunitytobuildanevidencebasefortestingitsefficacyinenhancingwomen’smobilityandlaborforceparticipation.BetterevidenceonwhatworksandthemagnitudeofitsimpactcouldbeveryimportantininformingfuturepoliciesandprogramstobeimplementedbyPakistan’sgovernment,ADB,andotherdevelopmentpartners.GivenADB’sextensiveengagementintheongoingexpansionofpublictransportationinPakistan,itisuniquelypositionedtoencouragethegovernmenttoconsiderthefindingsfromongoingrigorousresearchandtosupportresearchersandgovernmenttoworktogetherinquantifyingthesocialandeconomicbenefitsoftheseinvestmentsingeneralandinparticularforwomen,aswellasidentifyingwaystomaximizethosebenefits.

references

Ali,K.A.2012.Women,WorkandPublicSpaces:ConflictandCoexistenceinKarachi’sPoorNeighborhoods.International Journal of Urban and Regional Research.36(3).pp.585-605.

AsianDevelopmentBank(ADB).2014.Rapid Assessment of Sexual Harassment in Public Transport and Connected Spaces in Karachi.Manila.

Cheema,A.,A.Khwaja,F.Naseer,andJ.Shapiro.2012.PEOPPhase1BaselineHouseholdSurveyReport.Mimeo,CenterforEconomicResearch inPakistan.Lahore.

Ejaz,M.2007.DeterminantsofFemaleLaborForceParticipationinPakistan:AnEmpiricalAnalysisofPSLM(2004–05)MicroData.Lahore Journal of Economics.SpecialEdition(September2007).pp.203-235.

Fatima,D.2014.Education,EmploymentandWomen’sSayinHouseholdDecision-MakinginPakistan.CREB Working Papers. Lahore:LahoreSchoolofEconomics.

Fogli,A.,andL.Veldkamp.2011.NatureorNurture?LearningandtheGeographyofFemaleLaborForceParticipation.Econometrica.79(4).pp.1103-1138.

InternationalLabourOrganization.2014.GlobalEmploymentTrends.Geneva.

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Iyer,L.,A.Mani,P.Mishra,andP.Topalova.2012.ThePowerofPoliticalVoice:Women’sPoliticalRepresentationandCrimeinIndia.American Economic Journal:Applied Economics.4(4).pp.165–193.

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