Across Pakistan, women are working everywhere. They manage homes, support family businesses, harvest crops, teach children, stitch clothes, and keep households and communities running. Their labour is visible, continuous, and essential to daily life. Yet when it comes to recognition, protection, and leadership, much of this work remains unseen. This gap between effort and opportunity is not only a personal struggle for women, it also quietly shapes Pakistan’s economic future.
Women’s inclusion in the workforce remains a major challenge. According to the World Economic Forum in its Global Gender Gap Report 2025, Pakistan ranks among the lowest countries for gender equality, with just 56.7 percent gender parity. While this is the country’s highest score since 2006, it still highlights how far Pakistan has to go.
One of the main reasons behind this imbalance is the nature of women’s work. A large number of women are employed in informal, undocumented, and unprotected roles, especially in agriculture and domestic labour. Women make up nearly 74 percent of Pakistan’s informal workforce, which contributes around 37 percent of the national GDP. Despite this, women remain largely absent from formal employment structures, decision-making roles, and leadership positions. As a result, a significant portion of the country’s economic potential remains untapped.
Also Read: Lakeshore City as a Cultural Bridge Between Pakistan and China
Closing this gap requires more than simply increasing participation. It requires influence. When women move into formal leadership roles, businesses and the wider economy benefit from diverse perspectives that improve decision-making and long-term performance. This shift depends on clear policies, fair promotion systems, structured career pathways, and accountability mechanisms that ensure women are not just working, but leading and shaping economic outcomes.
Some companies in Pakistan are already taking steps in this direction. Unilever Pakistan has embedded equity, diversity, and inclusion into its workplace culture. The company has introduced a six-month maternity leave for women and paternity leave for men, and it partners with different organizations to offer mentorship opportunities for women, both within and outside the company. Unilever Pakistan also supports rural women through healthcare, skills development, and livelihood programs.
One notable example is Unilever’s Guddi Baji Livelihoods Program. Launched in 2012 in partnership with the Rural Support Program Network, the initiative trains women in villages to become entrepreneurs and sales agents for Unilever products. From small salon-based businesses to retail and digital partnerships with JazzCash, more than 8,000 women have gained income opportunities and business skills. The recent expansion of this collaboration has helped improve financial inclusion for low-income women across the country.
Unilever has also worked with platforms like the Champions for Change Coalition to promote leadership accountability. Through this partnership, the company recently hosted a roundtable conference with CEOs from different industries, highlighting that gender inclusion is a leadership responsibility. The message was clear: lasting change depends on people in positions of influence actively supporting and sponsoring women in their organizations, families, and communities.
Despite these efforts, there is still a clear need for wider collaboration and sustained dialogue. Women already contribute significantly to Pakistan’s economy, but unlocking the country’s full growth potential requires bringing more women into the formal workforce, documenting their participation, protecting them through strong policies, and creating pathways for meaningful leadership roles.
In an era of digitalization, this is not an impossible task. With the right tools, policies, and commitment, Pakistan has an opportunity to uplift nearly half of its population and build a more inclusive and resilient economy for the future.
