It is encouraging to see a large number of Pakistani youth successfully completing their studies and entering the workforce in an expeditious manner. One thing remains consistent despite the differences in varsities, convocation clothes, and disciplines: the equally ambitious looks of the men and women. The fact that there are an equal number of male and female graduates in university convocation images stands out among the happy graduation tales, gratitude letters, and shots of people throwing their mortarboards. To a large extent, our country has successfully been able to move past the mentality of favoring male education over female education. The urban society has especially come to the realization that providing girls with higher education is essential for the progress of Pakistan. 

The participation of women in the workforce has undergone significant changes during the last several decades. Women’s presence is in seen in different echelons of Pakistani society, e.g. fighter-jet pilots, educators, customer service managers, business executives, administrative leaders in banking, etc. However, even though there are just as many female graduates as male graduates, if not more, the puzzle of why women are not yet equally represented in Pakistan’s workforce remains unanswered. With the number of working women on the rise, there are various obstacles that must be overcome for the effective participation of women in the workforce. According to a World Bank report of 2021, females constitute only 20 per cent of the total workforce in Pakistan. Women workers face different challenges like gender-based discrimination, harassment, pay gap, etc.
In the past, women were confined to the home, and their main responsibility was to take care of household duties. This restriction has faded over time as a result of rising economic difficulties. Domestic workers, healthcare professionals, educators, and other low-paying occupations, etc., account for the majority of the working women in workplace. Women’s exposure to other options has been constrained by the antiquated cultural norms, e.g., women should remain within the four walls of the home, or at best they should work in certain professions like those mentioned above.   
Usually, working men receive unfair advantages over employed women. Men are falsely viewed as hard workers, smart, and better performing employees than women in this mostly male-dominated culture. As a result of this gender discrimination, stress levels increase as well as discontent regarding work environment among the women. It also lowers wholehearted devotion and enthusiastic attitude towards the job performance. Ammara, a lawyer by profession, talks about the stereotypical mindset: “I have been married for two years, but I don’t have any children. However, everywhere I apply the interviewers ask me, ‘What if you are to have a baby? In that case, we will be unable to continue employing you. You could only continue working for, say, two trimesters.’ It’s sad that I can’t pursue a job since I could someday become a parent.”
Because women are seen as an easy target by their male coworkers, harassment is another major issue that adversely affects women’s willingness to seek employment or to continue working. Many women feel that because of their perceived vulnerability, their coworkers and superiors often make fun of them, make improper comments, or in the worst situations, they harass them sexually. Noreen, while talking about her experience working alongside a senior surgeon, said: “He would stand so close to me, shoulder-to-shoulder, in the operating room and always paid me unwanted attention. Our superiors were aware of the issue with his actions, but by raising it, we would risk losing our jobs. All the higher authorities did was to issue advice on which instructors we should avoid. It was an extremely unsettling setting and I utterly detested it.”
Typically, women choose to keep silent, ignore, or put up with such behavior out of fear of losing their jobs. They are generally averse to naming the offenders in their complaints. Some of them decide to retire in order to end the dilemma that they face at their workplaces. They feel that filing a complaint against the offenders is useless. One of the main reasons families also forbid women from working is because of this quagmire of harassment.
“I am aware that everyone is staring at me when I walk into the office. That is really humiliating. Is it necessary to sing a song, tell an odd joke, or make some rude remarks on my arrival? When you are always being observed from head to toe, how can you focus on work?” says Salma, a banker by profession and who is one of the numerous working women who experience instances of demoralizing workplace harassment. 
While bullying, harassment, and abuse are overt behaviors, poor pay is a quiet crime about which no one complains, and, therefore, the issue persists. Because employers presumptively believe that a woman would leave her career after getting married and having children, or that they would be less focused on work, they pay women less, and usually use this absurd argument when women demand for a pay raise. Another reason is that women are not considered the primary breadwinners.
Mamuna, an employee at a major bank in Karachi, shares her experience: “I had been working for the bank for five years. When I got married, everyone repeatedly asked if I would continue working. Whatever I said, they just did not believe me. When a man is getting married, this subject will never be raised. Till now, I have acquired experience of about eight years working in the same bank but I am being paid much less than the male workers for this reason.”
In Pakistan, the communication and transit system is terrible and no mechanism is in place for the provision of favorable transport conditions for women travelling to their workplace. In addition to poor accessibility of public transportation, harassment of women still occurs on the public transport that is available. Due to the high cost of commuting by taxis or other forms of private transportation, it becomes a necessity for them to take public transportation in order to reach their destination.
Shaista, a domestic worker, shares her experience: “I have to take the local transport as I can’t afford the fare of taxis. On the transport and even as I walk to work there are many instances of catcalling and unwelcome touching that experience on a daily basis.”
Though laws have been enacted for the protection of women in Pakistan, yet many social and constitutional problems remain unaddressed. Furthermore, there is the dearth of cognizance about the relevant laws for women rights at the workplace among women. To ensure the protection of the rights of women, the Protection against Harassment of Women in the Workplace Act in 2010 is in place. Its most current legislative modification, the Protection against Harassment of Women in the Workplace (Amendment) Act 2022, broadens its reach to cover both formal and informal workplaces. Domestic workers who were not previously protected by the law are also included in the amendment. Additionally, maternity leave policies also exist and Article 37(e) of Pakistan’s Constitution instructs the state to provide “maternity benefits for women in employment ...” Unfortunately, innumerable Pakistani organizations get away with utter disregard about relevant laws for women’s rights at workplace because women themselves are unaware of their rights.
Concentrated efforts should be made to implement mechanisms to strengthen these laws. The objective of creating a conducive environment for women at workplaces will not be achieved without clear guidelines for roles, efficient resource allocation, ownership by public authorities and most importantly, awareness among the women about the relevant women rights laws. HH

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*  Names have been changed to protect the identities of women who shared their experiences.