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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