Economy, not culture.

IN 2002, Gen Musharraf pulled a rabbit out of the hat by substantially increasing quotas for women's seats in all legislative bodies. This improved Pakistan's ranking significantly on the Global Gender Gap Index. Decades on, political empowerment is the only indicator ranking us at mid-level, rather than second last for everything else.

The culprits are not democracy or corruption but the historical misdiagnoses that 'culture' is a proven obstacle to women's progress, especially their economic empowerment. InsAtead, lack of social prestige, negative community perception, and work conditions are majAor impediments to Pakistani women's waged labour. Gossip and patriarchal control should not be confused with immutable culture.

The culture cudgel is a convenient excuse used by unimaginative, lazy officials and politicians who refuse to incentivise women's waged labour. Offloading responsibility on culture or waiting for macroeconomic miracles or utopian level-playing-field markets is erroneous. Change is underway but unmeasured and blocked by the culture argument.

There are no uniform or permanent barriers across communities, districts or provinces. 'Culture' is forsaken under extreme poverty when women are driven to distressed labour, including in construction, although pragmatic microfinance policies and home-based work reinforce the culture paradigm.

What makes the women's movement weak?

Many donor-funded reports on women's empowerment recall colonial-era policies with local experts advising that 'cultural and religious norms' should not be upset. The result has been decades of poultry rearing and home-based embroidery projects while preserving the patriarchal gendered order.

Despite their flaws, global ranking reports reveal some stark findings that are needlessly complicated by international experts and standardised solutions. Some indictments are as follows.

First, most Pakistani women are not in the workforce. The majority of the 20 per cent who are, labour in agriculture (without minimum wages) while the rest toil in informal and unsafe (mostly manufacturing) sectors. Women are not 'service sector-oriented' but confined due to lack of skills for higher paid work. Gender segregated occupations and lack of market access and mobility are blamed on tradition instead of negligent planning.

It is not culturally offensive to enforce the living wage for all women agricultural workers, securitise the informal sector, upgrade domestic (not MNC)...