Has growth been good for women’s employment in Pakistan?

In this paper, we analyse the gender inclusiveness of Pakistan’s economic growth performance as measured by the rate at which employment changes when GDP increases by one percentage point. Our results show not only differences in such employment elasticities across sectors but also across genders. Rooted in women’s status as secondary workers within Pakistan’s labour force, their employment is commonly more responsive to the business cycle. Surprising results include that gender wage equality is positively associated with employment elasticities. Furthermore, we question the optimistic narrative that education improves women’s ability to take up employment in periods of positive GDP growth

Empowering growth in Pakistan?

Pakistan's Vision 2025 connects a policy commitment to greater gender equality with inclusive growth. It prioritises a "good quality of life and high living standard for all citizens across regions, gender" and to "achieve an annual average growth rate of 7 to 8 per cent that is inclusive and endogenous" as its first two objectives (GoP 2014a). These commitments respond to the multiple inequalities and the increasing polarization that characterise the South Asian country. Rather than indicating its economic strength, Pakistan's relatively high average income of current USD 1,290 is a reflection of the multiple inequalities that characterize the South Asian country. This is illustrated, for example, by the high incidence of poverty that paralleled even periods of high growth since the turn of the millennium. Despite international and national commitments, Pakistan is characterized by the most severe extent of gender inequalities in the areas of health, education and labour market participation as well as labour conditions in the South Asian region. While positive economic growth rates are often assumed to go hand in hand with rising employment levels and opportunities for income-earning, growth and indicators of gender equality in Pakistan do not seem to be systematically correlated. This article explores the connection between economic growth performance and gender inequalities in Pakistan. We ask the question how empowering macro economic growth has been and can be for women in Pakistan. The present paper addresses this question, offering a concise review of related research as well as an exploration of aggregate data on sectoral gendered employment and economic growth. Based on this it formulates tentative policy conclusions and an outlook for further research

CPEC – Game Changer or Game Over for Women’s Empowerment?

CPEC represents a significant monetary investment for Pakistan, but does the corridor promise women empowerment through wellpaid jobs? The special economic zones (SEZs) under CPEC remain remarkably similar to the existing SEZs and export promotion zones which while employing women do so at very low wage rates and virtually no worker benefits. With this precedent, we argue that CPEC will fail to improve women’s working conditions unless regular, formal and well-remunerated forms of employment are created

One Parameter Composite Semigroups of Linear Bounded Operators in Strong Operator Topology of Schatten Class Cp

For semigroups of linear bounded operators on Hilbert spaces, the problem of being in Cp , 0 Keyword

Has growth been good for women’s employment in Pakistan?

In this paper, we analyse the gender inclusiveness of Pakistan’s economic growth performance as measured by the rate at which employment changes when GDP increases by one percentage point. Our results show not only differences in such employment elasticities across sectors but also across genders. Rooted in women’s status as secondary workers within Pakistan’s labour force, their employment is commonly more responsive to the business cycle. Surprising results include that gender wage equality is positively associated with employment elasticities. Furthermore, we question the optimistic narrative that education improves women’s ability to take up employment in periods of positive GDP growth

A game changer for women?

Variously termed a ‘game changer’ or ‘game over’ for Pakistan’s economic development, few observers address whether the 62 billion US dollar heavy China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will contribute to women’s empowerment or further exacerbate women’s marginalisation in Pakistan. This is a vital question, though, in our country that dangles second-lowest in global rankings of gender equality