Revista de Ciências Políticas e Assuntos Públicos
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A Gender Gap in Women Workers' Protection in Labour Policies of Pakistan

Shafiq Qurban*

Pakistan has announced six labour policies 1955, 1959, 1969, 1972, 2002, and 2010 to capture the menace of unemployment, adverse working conditions and gender gap in labour force. These six labour policies seem to be a mirror of government efforts to promote employment opportunities for both male and female workers, protection of workers’ right, and settlement of industrial disputes as well as workers’ grievances. However, the labour policies of 2002 and 2010 are gender sensitive as these policies are framed under UN framework of gender and development wherein both labour policies contain provisions about women economic empowerment. On the contrary as being gender sensitive, both labour policies are more confined to formal labour sector by following predecessor policies and narrowly targeted the informal sector of labour where females are in majority as workforce. All labour policies are silent on rights and protection of workers of informal labour sector. Pakistan as being party to UN conventions on women’s right protection has been taking lacking concrete step for women economic empowerment and protection of women workers in informal labour. Women’s economic empowerment is a mandatory step for economic development of state.