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Arab News
17-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Women in Pakistan earn 30 percent less than men, ILO finds in landmark wage gap study
ISLAMABAD: Women in wage employment in Pakistan earn nearly 30 percent less per month than men despite often having higher levels of education and working full time, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), one of the most comprehensive studies of the country's gender pay gap to date. Published in July 2025, the 'Gender Pay Gap in Pakistan: An Empirical Analysis' found that on average, women earn 25 percent less per hour and 30 percent less per month than male counterparts, 'even when they have similar qualifications and experience, and are employed in comparable roles.' 'The magnitude of the gender pay gap in Pakistan is among the highest when compared to other lower-middle-income countries,' the ILO said. The study used data from Pakistan's Labour Force Surveys from 2013 to 2021, examining hourly, monthly and annual earnings across public and private sectors, including both formal and informal employment. The authors concluded that the wage disparity is only partially explained by observable factors such as age, education, occupation and hours worked. 'The majority of the wage gap between men and women in Pakistan remains unexplained, suggesting that discrimination or other unmeasured factors may be at play,' the report said. The wage gap is also compounded by extremely low female participation in the labor force. According to the report, women account for just 13.5 percent of wage employees, despite making up nearly half the working-age population. As of 2021, the female employment rate stood at 23 percent, compared to 79 percent for men. 'The overall employment gap — defined as the difference in employment-to-population ratios between men and women — has hovered at 56 percentage points over the last decade,' the report found, adding that women face 'multiple challenges when entering, staying in, and progressing in wage employment.' In many cases, the ILO noted, women with higher levels of education still earned significantly less than men with similar or even lower qualifications, 'indicating entrenched biases in hiring and promotion decisions.' INFORMAL SECTOR The study found that the gender pay gap is widest in the informal sector, where women earn over 40 percent less per hour than men. In the formal private sector, the gap is slightly narrower, and lowest in the public sector, where wage structures are regulated and pay scales standardized. 'The informal sector, where a significant proportion of women are employed, exhibits the highest gender pay gap, primarily due to the lack of oversight, low unionization, and absence of formal wage-setting mechanisms,' the report said. The ILO also cited the impact of occupational segregation. Women are underrepresented in higher-paying roles and overrepresented in sectors such as domestic work, education, and agriculture, which are often undervalued. To address these gaps, the report outlines a number of recommendations, including expanding formal employment opportunities for women, enforcing minimum wage laws and pay transparency measures and developing gender-responsive social protection systems. It also recommends strengthening labor inspection and legal enforcement, particularly in the informal sector, and investing in sex-disaggregated data collection to better monitor wage trends and disparities. The ILO also urged Pakistan to ratify and implement international conventions on equal pay and non-discrimination, including ILO Convention No. 100 (Equal Remuneration) and No. 111 (Discrimination in Employment and Occupation). The report underscores that eliminating gender-based wage disparities is not only a matter of justice, but also critical for boosting economic productivity and household welfare. 'Addressing the gender pay gap is essential to achieving inclusive economic growth and meeting Pakistan's commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals,' the ILO concluded.
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Derry spools sculpture disappoints some former ‘factory girls'
After decades of debate over how to honour the women who used to work in the city's shirt factories, Derry has produced a sculpture of three giant spools of thread cast in bronze. Ranging in height from 2 to 3.5 metres (6.5-11.5ft), the monuments loom over Harbour Square to recall an era when thousands of girls and women worked in dozens of factories that made the Northern Irish city a world leader in shirt production. However, some former workers are aghast and say the decision to use abstract symbols rather than female figures occludes their role from history. 'This gesture fell way short of what we hoped for – we feel airbrushed out of it,' Clare Moore told the BBC this week. Before the official unveiling last month, several former workers staged a protest and held a banner saying 'these factory girls say no'. There had been no proper consultation and the bronze spools did not accurately resemble the ones they used in the factories, they said. Derry city and Strabane district councils had hoped the £187,000 design would draw a line under a troubled 20-year stop-start quest to represent the city's industrial heritage with public art. The council called the artwork a 'fitting tribute' and said it had fully engaged with the former workers. Chris Wilson, the artist, said at least two years of consultations included a day-long workshop that showed a model of the artwork to dozens of former workers, who at that meeting raised no objections. 'They all seemed onboard with the idea,' Wilson told the Guardian. 'I've never worked on a project that had such an extensive and transparent process.' The sculptures are not figurative but 'almost anthropomorphic' in suggesting a group of people, with textures and shadows to evoke memory, he said. 'The factories are all gone but what came across to me, in talks with the ladies, was their memories and recollections and friendships.' Sign up to Art Weekly Your weekly art world round-up, sketching out all the biggest stories, scandals and exhibitions after newsletter promotion One of the bronze spools emits what appears to be a loose thread around the base but is in fact quotes from some former workers, Wilson said. 'I've been told that public art is like sport. Everybody has opinion and is entitled to have an opinion.'
