Pakistan's women fight to enter the labor force

DW (English)

In Pakistan, where just 23% of women are employed, female professionals like Dr. Sobia Yaqub are challenging deep-rooted norms. As an oncologist and educator, she’s part of a growing movement proving that education and opportunity can reshape the future for women — and the nation.

Transcript

00:00How can these girls get a job one day?

00:05Just 20% of females manage to do so in Pakistan.

00:10There are conservative forces that criticize women going to work.

00:15But equal rights for women start with access to employment.

00:19How can this be achieved?

00:22Sophia Jacob is a doctor who works at various clinics in Lahore.

00:27Her specialty, oncology.

00:30She helps her patients fight cancer.

00:33I've always wanted to be a doctor.

00:36But as I joined the MBBS and moved forward,

00:39I decided to join oncology because there were very few people

00:44and it was a prevalent disease.

00:47Women in the medical profession are still relatively rare in Pakistan.

00:52But Dr. Jacob has learned to assert herself on the job.

00:56She also works as a university lecturer

00:59and is better qualified than many male colleagues,

01:02which helps to combat prejudice.

01:04In my workplace, I often face this difficulty that

01:08the people don't want you to be at a higher position than me.

01:14Never before had the women in her family worked outside of the home,

01:18let alone led a medical team.

01:20In the past generation, I must say that there were no female was working

01:25and all the females were housewives.

01:27But now that things are changing.

01:30As a society is changing, my family is also changing.

01:33Alhamdulillah, all of my sisters, they are working.

01:35She belongs to a minority of working women in Pakistan.

01:41In 1995, the employment rate for Pakistani women was 12.5%.

01:46It then rose steadily but has stagnated at around 23% for several years.

01:52The situation is quite different in Malaysia, which is also predominantly Muslim.

01:57The female employment rate there is 37%.

02:01The reason, better education and more tolerance of women in the workplace.

02:06For this former straight-A student, education is key

02:10if women are to access Pakistan's labor market.

02:13So basically, the lack of education in the female is the main hindrance

02:18that the females are not seen in the job market so frequently.

02:22Dr. Yaakov attended a special school that made her career possible.

02:29The almost 900 care schools in Pakistan are privileged institutions.

02:34They are half public, half private.

02:36Instruction is given in Urdu and English.

02:39Girls and boys are usually taught separately,

02:42but sometimes they are taught in mixed classes.

02:46There were obstacles in the beginning because many parents believe

02:49that girls shouldn't pursue further education.

02:52However, at care school, we engage in conversations with both parents

02:56and the girls about their future and safety.

02:59We explain that the coming era is not about differences between boys and girls.

03:03Both have important roles to play in society.

03:06That's why at care school, girls are especially encouraged and motivated

03:10to move forward and achieve more.

03:15Around 30% of these girls go on to get a high school diploma.

03:19Tuition is free and sponsors support the school system.

03:23The schools intentionally assist children from low-income backgrounds.

03:27And this mother who brings her daughter to school here appreciates that.

03:36The care school is free, whereas other elite schools cost money.

03:41And the curriculum that public schools offer is often substandard.

03:46To increase job opportunities in Pakistan, we must promote women and focus more on their education.

03:57Many girls who cannot afford the cost of education are often the ones who study the hardest.

04:02We need to pay special attention to them.

04:04We must identify and support those talented girls who are hidden away.

04:08They're the bright future of our country.

04:12This is Seema Aziz. She founded The Care School.

04:17An education is the only equalizer.

04:19It's the biggest equalizer in life.

04:21But only an equal education can equalize.

04:26As a businesswoman, she herself has shown what equal opportunities mean.

04:31She became a successful entrepreneur and set up the Pakistani fashion chain Bariz,

04:36which has over 1,000 employees.

04:41Time and again, it is women themselves who serve as role models and mentors for other women.

04:48For example, Maria Umar.

04:50A college graduate, she's given many continuing education courses for women

04:55so that they could work independently from home as IT experts.

04:59The number goes well into the 1,000, so about 7,000 to 8,000 students that I know of

05:06that we trained over the 10 long years that we were in operation.

05:13Education, being a role model, supporting other women,

05:16these strategies are vital to getting more women into the workforce in Pakistan.

05:21These girls are also doing their bit.

05:23If all goes well, they could help their country develop from an emerging economy into a wealthy one.

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