International Women's Day observed

Pakistan

International Women's Day observed

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This years theme is Empower Rural Women - End Hunger and Poverty.

08 March,2012 09:34 am

International Womens Day is being observed across the world including Pakistan to highlight womens achievements throughout history and across the nations.International Women’s Day, which saw its first event run in 1911, continues to provide a powerful opportunity to unite, network and mobilise worldwide for meaningful change. It provides an opportunity to make a stand against inequality, discrimination and marginalisation that only serves to weaken all of our societies.Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements.Casting light on the significant role and contribution of rural women, the theme of International Womens Day 2012 is Empower Rural Women -End Hunger and Poverty.In some parts of the world, women represent 70 percent of the agricultural workforce, comprising 43 percent of agricultural workers worldwide.According to an estimate, if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on the farms by 20-30 percent.Healthcare, education, gender inequality and limited access to credit, however, have posed a number of challenges for rural women. Further, the global food and economic crisis and climate change have aggravated the situation. It is estimated that 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women and girls.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also highlighted the potential of rural women to improve the well-being of entire societies if given equal access to resources and set free from the discrimination and exploitation that hold them back.“The plight of the world’s rural women and girls mirrors that of women and girls throughout society,” Mr. Ban told an event at UN Headquarters to commemorate the Day.He acknowledged that women are increasingly exercising greater influence in business, government, politics, public administration and other professions. Also, more girls are going to school and are growing up healthier and better equipped to realize their potential.“But, despite this momentum, there is a long way to go before women and girls can be said to enjoy the fundamental rights, freedom and dignity that are their birthright and that will guarantee their well-being,” said the Secretary-General.Rural women and girls make up a quarter of the global population, yet they routinely figure at the bottom of every economic, social and political indicator, from income, education and health to participation in decision-making, Mr. Ban said.They perform most of the unpaid care work in rural areas and are a major part of the agricultural labour force, making up almost half a billion smallholder farmers and landless workers.The status of women in Pakistan varies considerably across classes, regions, and the rural-urban divide due to uneven socioeconomic development and the impact of tribal, feudal, and capitalist social formations on womens lives.The Pakistani women of today enjoy a better status than most Muslim and Middle Eastern women.However, on an average, the womens situation vis-à-vis men is one of systemic gender subordination, although there have been attempts by the government and enlightened groups to elevate the status of women in Pakistani society.Now due to lots of awareness among people the educational opportunities for the Pakistani women increased in the previous years.Although women play an active role in Pakistans economy, their contribution has been grossly underreported in some censuses and surveys.The 1991-92 Labour Force Survey revealed that only about 16% of women aged 10 years and over were in the labour force. The World Banks reports of 1997 stated that women constituted only 28% of the countrys labor force. According to the 1999 report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, only two percent of Pakistani women participate in the formal sector of employment.However, the 1980 agricultural census stated that the womens participation rate in agriculture was 73%.The 1990-1991 Pakistan Integrated Household Survey indicated that the female labour force participation rate was 45% in rural areas and 17% the urban areas. Pakistani women play a major role in agricultural production, livestock raising and cottage industries.Michelle Bachelet, the Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), stated that no enduring solution to the major global challenges – from climate change to political and economic instability – can be solved without the full empowerment and participation of women across the world.She highlighted the fact that providing women farmers with equal access to resources would result in 100 to 150 million fewer hungry people, while ensuring that they have income, land rights and credit would mean fewer malnourished children.