Pakistan’s women

TODAY is March 8 — International Women’s Day, an occasion to revisit the women’s movement in Pakistan. Where do they stand 76 years after independence? This question was quite comprehensively answered at the annual conference of the newly formed Fem Consortia comprising 12 women’s rights organisations and five alliances from across the country. Much food for thought emerged from the research papers presented at the four sessions on women in politics, adolescent girls, working women and climate change and women, and the panel discussions that followed.

It was clear that a lot of progress has been made in the status and empowerment of women but many hurdles continue to obstruct the way forward.

Farhat Parveen, whose NOWC was the convener of the conference this year, acknowledged the cooperation women have received from men. This in itself is remarkable given the patriarchal structure of our society. It would not be out of place, however, to point out that the male presence at the moot was noticeably sparse. As she also mentioned, not all problems have been resolved after years of struggle. Issues of gender inequality, lower wages for female workers, their contributions not being recognised, violence and the........

© Dawn