When you say it is your “better half”, but you treat it as the “worse half” the worst happens. Women are the center of every conversation. From corporate forums, to political corridors, to business talks, to the entertainment world, the discourse and display features women.

Does that show the importance of a woman? Yes and No. Yes, because in today’s world the conversation on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) is all about the gender. No, because in most spheres it is lip service that loves the talk but hates the walk. Facts prove how fake these calls for more inclusion are. Stats show how hollow these claims are.

With only 25% women employed in the work force Pakistan has one of the highest gender gaps in the world. These women of course include the lesser educated ones. In the educated class women are still not coming up the ranks. In an IFC study conducted in 2021 less than 5% women make it to the senior management positions in Pakistan. Private companies in Pakistan are struggling to reach gender diversity targets.

More than half of the 86 companies across a range of sectors that responded to the study had less than 15 percent of women working for them, despite clear goals to reach the 15 percent target. Sixty-three percent had less than five percent of women in senior leadership roles, while 60 percent had either none or only one female member on their boards of directors. This is a sorry state of affairs and needs to be addressed not just on 8th of March each year but each day, in each policy, in each activity. There are many steps that need to be taken to make it an all-time imperative:

1- Women participation is not just a........

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