Can women power the Pakistani economy?

Pakistan can raise its GDP by 30 per cent by decreasing the gender gap, reports International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In our fourth episode of 'The Right' Podcast series , our host Fer Ghanaa Ansari (Research Associate, RSIL) discusses the inequality in opportunities and the existing barriers in Pakistan against women's economic empowerment with our guest Komal Shakeel (Economic Policy and Development Consultant).

The Rights Podcast Series explores issues related to human rights in Pakistan. It is an initiative of the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) at the Research Society of International Law, Pakistan (RSIL), an independent, non-partisan think tank based in Pakistan. The Centre for Human Rights (CHR) is a dedicated Centre conducting research on international and domestic human rights issues, raising awareness and building State capacity in Pakistan.
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Intro (00:00)
Identifying economic opportunities for domestic abuse survivors and creating investment-friendly environment (1:44)
Barriers for women in the workforce (5:05)
How can we make spaces safer for women? (7:37)
Pakistan’s informal economy is bigger than its formal economy (11:15)
Pakistani care economy needs to be taken care of (13:25)
Do existing policies create an encouraging working environment for women? (18:21)
Absence of political will at institutional level (23:15)
Leapfrogging the economy (24:29)
How to provide easy & affordable access to financial services for all working women? (25:45)
Women in leadership roles (29:50)
Enabling environment at the workplace (32:49)
Calling women colleagues ‘Bibi, beti, or behen’ (35:21)
The invisible workforce & lack of policy implementation (40:02)
Working women portrayal in the media (40:50)
Women creating spaces for themselves (44:50)