Pakistan’s Gender Gap Crisis: A Call for Urgent Reform
Pakistan’s ranking as the lowest-performing country in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2025, at 148th out of 148 countries with a gender parity score of just 56.7%, is a stark indictment of its failure to address systemic gender inequalities. This is not merely a statistical embarrassment but a profound societal and economic crisis that demands immediate, transformative action.
The report, which evaluates gender parity across economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment, reveals a nation struggling to provide equitable opportunities for half its population. While there are glimmers of progress, such as a 1.5% improvement in educational attainment, the broader picture is one of stagnation and regression.
The most glaring shortfall lies in economic participation and financial inclusion, where Pakistan scores a dismal 34.7%. Only 22.8% of the workforce comprises women, according to a 2024 World Bank report, and their representation in leadership roles is negligible. Women earn 18% less than men for the same work, with the gap even more pronounced in the agricultural sector, where 68% of employed women work without pay compared to 24% of men. Cultural norms here too confine women to domestic roles, coupled with inadequate access to education and skills training, perpetuate this economic exclusion.
Political empowerment is another area of stark disparity, with Pakistan’s score dropping from 12.2% in 2024 to 11% in 2025. The absence of women in ministerial positions which is down from 5.9% to zero also underscores a troubling decline in female leadership. While women’s representation in parliament has seen a modest 1.2% increase, this incremental gain is overshadowed by the lack of systemic support for female political participation. Patriarchal structures and male figures often limit women’s ability to engage in politics meaningfully.
Education, often regarded as a pathway to equality, offers some relief, however challenges persist. The 1.5% improvement in educational attainment, bringing parity to 85.1%, is a step forward, driven partly by a rise in female literacy from 46.5% to 48.5%. However, this progress is tempered by a decline in male tertiary enrollment, which narrows the gap without necessarily improving access for girls. Pakistan’s literacy rate of 67% lags all its regional peers except Afghanistan (37%), and both genders face significant barriers to quality education. The lack of gender-sensitive educational structures and outdated data, such as the absence of a National Time Use Survey since 2007, further obscures the true extent of disparities.
Recently, the government has taken steps, such as the 2025–26 “gender-responsive” budget, which allocates 6.9% of the Public Sector Development Programme (PKR 291 billion) to gender-sensitive initiatives. Yet, as the UNDP points out, only 0.2% of the federal development budget targets explicit women-focused projects, a decline from previous years. Without substantial funding, accountability, and enforcement, such measures risk becoming inefficient bureaucratic exercises rather than drivers of change.
The consequences of Pakistan’s gender gap extend beyond individual rights to national development. The global gender gap, projected to take 123 years to close at the current pace, underscores the urgency for Pakistan to act decisively.
To address this crisis, Pakistan needs to recalibrate its policymaking account for the gender lens which will be easier said than done. First, targeted investments in women’s education, vocational training, and safe workplaces, would bolster the formal sector. Second, political participation must be bolstered through enlarging quotas, launching new leadership programs, and encouraging campaigns to challenge the male patriarchy. Finally, data collection must be modernized by updating the National Time Use Survey and disaggregating wage and sectoral data to inform policy, a key tool in measuring gender gaps.
To sum, Pakistan’s last-place ranking is not just a data deficit but a reflection of structural failures. It is a wake-up call for the government, civil society, and international partners/collaborators to move beyond half-measures and invest in meaningful change. The path to gender parity is both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity for an economically and culturally struggling nation. By prioritizing women’s education, economic inclusion, and political engagement, Pakistan can begin to climb from the bottom of the global index and build a more inclusive and fair future for its population.
Sources used as reference:
- World Economic Forum, Global Gender Gap Report 2025
- UNDP, Reading Between the Index Lines, 2025
- UNICEF Pakistan Gender Strategy 2024–2027
- Election Commission of Pakistan
- Institute of Development Studies, 2022
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Opinion Desk.
