Analysis of Non-conventional Indicators of Gender Relations: Evidence from Pakistan

Abstract

Since 1980 many developing countries have adopted two major macroeconomic strategies: Stabilisation and Structural Adjustment. A generally held view regarding the impact of these macroeconomic strategies is that it led to unemployment, low investment, decline in real wages, capital flight, rise in inequality and poverty. All these resulted in deterioration in living conditions of the poor in the short run.1 In some cases, the long run benefits, if any, of these programmes are sacrificed due to the high social costs in the short run. A number of studies, examining the impact of the observed macroeconomic impact of the Structural Adjustment Policies (StAP), report mixed impact on women. For example, on the one hand, Khan (1999) found an increasing trend in feminisation of agricultural labour2, and feminisation of poverty3 while Brown (1992), on the other hand, reports employment as a key factor in determining women’s empowerment and argues that some aspects of economic reforms hold for improvement in the long-run. The argument is based on the assumption that greater economic role for women offers protection and that employment itself mitigates against domestic violence. However, the overall effect of structural adjustment is difficult to measure as it varies across countries, across sectors, and across individuals within a household.

A Review of the Relationship between Poverty, Population Growth, and Environment

“…According Siddiqui, et al (2006) in their recently published book "Gender and Empowerment: Evidence from Pakistan", the empirical evidence in Pakistan shows that there is a rise in female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) since 1990s. The increase in the female LFPR supports the view of feminisation of labour force in Pakistan.…”

“…The sustained decline in fertility, threefold increase in contraception use by males, and choice of the most effective contraceptive methods that provided longer duration of protection against pregnancy were indicative of a changed approach towards the reproductive process. The combined effect of the economic factors may produce a major impact on the fertility level in Pakistan even without much increased prevalence of contraception [Siddiqui, et al (2006)].…”

Assessing Labour Market Vulnerability among Young People

“…At the same time, the relatively high proportion of female youth with a degree suggests that other factors are important as well, including institutions in the broad sense and gender discrimination [see e.g. Nasir (2005); Siddiqui, et al (2006)]. 1999-2000 2001-2002 2003-2004 2005-2006 What do these findings mean for the vulnerability of youth?…”

Impact of Work-Family Balance on Career Development of Female Health Professionals with Mediating Role of Job Performance and Moderating Role of Gender Friendly Environment

“…World Economic Forum (WEF) published the Global Gender Gap Index 2020 report in which Pakistan is ranked 151 out of 153 countries. It is explained by this fact that in traditional Pakistani society, men perform dominant roles as wage earners while women perform reproductive and domestic roles (Siddiqui et al, 2006). Moreover, women face greater barriers than men during their careers due to social and cultural factors instead of the abilities of women (Tlaiss & Kauser, 2011).…”