Agriculture forms the backbone of Pakistan’s rural economy, and within this system, women are indispensable contributors. Their labour keeps farms functional, supports household earnings, and sustains food production across the country.

Yet, despite their pivotal role, women remain the most under-appreciated and least recognized section of the agricultural workforce. Gender discrimination is deeply embedded in rural labour relations, shaping who gets hired, who gets paid, and who holds decision-making power. Tasks such as cotton picking and okra harvesting, where women make up the majority of workers, reveal the unequal realities that continue to define women’s role in Pakistan’s agriculture.

Women’s presence in farming is extensive and multifaceted. They participate in planting, weeding, sowing, fodder cutting, vegetable harvesting, and livestock care. However, cotton harvesting has long been considered the domain of women, not because the work is easy but because it is work-intensive, repetitive, and poorly paid. In the cotton belts of Punjab and Sindh, women begin their work early in the morning, often walking long distances to reach fields. They manually pick cotton under harsh sunlight, carrying heavy loads on their backs, and return home only after meeting daily quotas. Despite these physical demands, their wages remain far lower than those of men performing similar agricultural tasks. This wage gap reflects more than income disparity; it exposes a deep-rooted perception that women’s farm labour is secondary rather than central to agriculture.

Okra harvesting presents another example of gendered assumption. Women are preferred because okra requires delicate harvesting and careful picking to avoid damaging the vegetable. The task must be performed repeatedly throughout the season, which means long hours spent standing in fields. Okra can cause skin........

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