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NATIONAL GENDER
POLICY FRAMEWORK 2022
MS. GHANIA USMAN | CSS EXAM DESK | DAILY TIMES
 National Gender Policy Framework 2022
Ms. Ghania Usman | CSS Exam Desk | Daily Times

September 2022 marked the seventh anniversary of Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs), which were adopted in September 2015. As a member of the United Nations
(UN), Pakistan is strongly committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as its
national development agenda in 2016. The principle thrust of the agenda is to “leave
no one behind;” with Goal 5, in particular, focusing on achieving gender equality
and empowering all women and girls.

During the last few years, Pakistan has made significant progress in terms of
investing in various programs and initiatives that support gender equality. However,
there are still many hurdles that prohibit women from achieving complete autonomy
in the country, such as lack of education, mobility, financial awareness, and many
others. These challenges have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,
which has heightened pre-existing gender inequality gaps for the worse. Pakistan’s
performance on global gender development indices reflects this reality, such as its
153rd position out of 156 countries on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender
Gap Report 2021.

In line with its commitment to improving living conditions for women, the
Government of Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives
(MoPD&SI) launched the National Gender Policy Framework (NGPF) to achieve a
gender-responsive society that provides equal opportunities to women and men in
every field. The NGPF has six objectives, each with a set of strategic priorities, for a
gender-equal ecosystem, in Pakistan.

The first objective is good governance for policy formulation and establishing
inclusionary structures to strengthen female participation in every field of the
economy. The second objective pertains to education through building an enabling
environment for women to focus on income-generating skill development. The third
objective focuses on employment and economic opportunity to provide work
opportunities, training, and entrepreneurial skills to women, as well as safe working
spaces and decent modes of transport. The fourth objective highlights the need for
female agency, political participation, and meaningful engagement in the political
affairs of Pakistan. The fifth objective addresses the health and well-being of women,
covering important areas such as mental health, gender equality in health
leadership, and the need for hygiene in educational institutions. The final objective
deals with safety and security, to ensure gender-conducive and supportive
environments for women to fully utilize their potential. It is welcoming that the
previous federal government under the leadership of former premier, Imran Khan
has taken cognizance of the lack of national narrative from the last many decades
on the subject in the shape of this framework. However, a technical review of this
framework is essential. In this regard, a detailed critique of existing gaps observed in
this policy framework is, classified into nine points and, elaborated ahead.

Cultural blinders: A nuanced awareness of a country’s socio-cultural context and

limitations arising from said context is essential for the success of any policy
framework. Chalking out the strategic plan for gender equality is the main objective
of public policy to gain economic stability. While conditions for women in Pakistan
require improvement, on the whole, several indicators show particularly high
Provincial disparities.

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For instance, Punjab’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is 157 per 100,000 live births,
compared to Baluchistan, which stands at 298. Similarly, Skilled Birth Attendance
(SBA) is 71.3% in Punjab and 38.2% in Baluchistan. These figures point to the
complexities that exist in Pakistan’s social fabric, where a woman’s access, mobility
and freedom are heavily entrenched and overshadowed by religious and cultural
leanings. Females who are illiterate and belong to hard-to-access areas are the ones
most in need of knowledge about Family Planning (FP) methods and options. A more
rational and achievable way to reach these women is perhaps through the
involvement of Lady Health Workers (LHWs), NGOs, and Community Mobilizers,
going door-to-door. But NGPF is silent about the involvement of community workers
and the community itself.

2. Risk of duplication of efforts at National and Provincial levels: As a baseline

measure, it is essential to take stock of existing work being done by federal and
provincial governments regarding the objectives outlined in the NGPF to avoid
duplication of efforts. For example, a toll-free mental health helpline already exists
in Sindh it was launched in 2020 as a response to the psychological crisis caused by
the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) is not a new
concept. Existing interventions by the provinces that are in line with the goals of the
framework must be closely evaluated to assess how they can be integrated or used
as learning to develop more successful models. Moreover, there is a requirement to
see that as there are several ministries and, at national as well as provincial levels
involved, which must not overlap or cause unnecessary interference in the domain
of each other. Women’s equality is a cross-cutting theme having a serious impact on
education, health, economic development and sustainability, clean energy, climate
change, potable water, sanitation etc. NGPF has not identified and acknowledged
these parallel linkages, and there is fear that each one of them will keep working in
silos.

03. Not addressing the root causes of the problem: In general, the objectives of the
NGPF seem to be putting only a bandage over the real cracks in the existing
interventions related to women in Pakistan. They do not address the root causes of
fundamental problems, such as access to and availability of essential health services,
decent and safe means of transport, safe working environment, financial
instruments etc. Moreover, there is a stress on increasing female voters through
CNIC registrations and support from the National Database & Registration Authority
(NADRA). However, a considerable number of persons, particularly women, do not
own CNICs and are therefore unaccounted for in NADRA’s database.

04. Insufficient data and data collection mechanisms: Consolidated gender-

desegregated data is not available due to old and poorly-coordinated data collection
systems. Such processes give rise to continuous human error and make it
cumbersome for policymakers to effectively use data for evidence-based decision-
making. Furthermore, in many cases, particularly those that deal with sensitive
matters, such as Violence against Women (VAW), a majority of incidents continue to
go unreported and are therefore not reflected in local or national statistics.

05. Absence of focus on the plight of marginalized segments of the female population:
The differences that exist between women in urban and rural settings, private and
public sectors, and formal and informal workspaces have not been taken into
account. The role played by rural women in the cottage and livestock industry has
not been covered in the framework. The dilemma faced by disabled women and
issues faced by minorities has also not been given their due share.

As per UN Young Women in Pakistan Status Report 2020, augmented labour force
participation raises rural women’s participation from 34 per cent to 52 per cent
(ages 15-29) are unpaid family workers. Their unpaid work is valued at around PKR

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683 Billion. Approximately 65 per cent of Pakistani women earn their livelihood from
the cottage industry. They face issues of lack of decision-making and power sharing,
shortage of capital, Gender inequality, opportunities to present their work in the
right markets, lack of education, training and innovations and obstacles in
accessing the market and credit facilities. Agriculture is the largest employer of
Pakistani women workers. Non-compatible tools/technologies to manage crop and
livestock production activities, poor health and dietary condition, low literacy level
and the burden of multiple roles are a few of the main challenges faced by women
there. The policy framework remains silent about how to approach and engage them
to bring them to the formal labour force.

Most importantly, despite being a policy for “gender development,” there is no

mention of transgender in the formulation of key objectives and priorities, even
though this community is marginalized and in desperate need of better work and
quality of life.

06. Unrealistic timeline for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Critical appraisal of
the KPIs of objectives as well as their proposed timeframes for implementation
shows that they are not realistic or fully achievable. For example, to secure hundred
need-based post-graduate scholarships in the top United Kingdom (UK) universities
by eligible women in one and half year seem to be ambitious. A much more logical
approach would be to start with small steps, establish a model that works, and then
aim bigger. Similarly unrealistic and non-practical KPIs, like women-only transport
systems, may also be reviewed in light of a similar experiment done by the Punjab
government, which failed due to low rider occupancy, frequency of trips, number of
routes etc. Such projects without proper study and cost-benefit analysis will not be
financially viable.

07. Role of social media is absent: Most of the objectives proposed by the NGPF have
highlighted the need to utilize public sector websites for the dissemination of
content and spreading awareness. The critical role played by social media in
educating the masses about key issues, seeking feedback, and fostering change
have not been explored fully.

08. The role of religious leaders is missing: The use of community leaders, and
religious leaders can play a vital role in the implementation of strategic priorities,
given their social influence and moral authority particularly in the rural
communities, while media can harness the opinion in the urban settings. Change in
cultural and normative ethos and mindset through community or religious leaders
can be a good way to improve the general conditions of women. There are good
lessons to be learned from Bangladesh, where religious leaders have been engaged
positively in various gender-related efforts in Bangladesh; several organizations such
as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), and the Asia Foundation have successfully engaged Imams and other
religious leaders through the government’s Islamic Foundation on issues ranging
from Violence Against Women (VAW) to dowry.

09. Issue of ‘implementer’ vs ‘coordinator’: Following the 18th amendment to

Pakistan’s constitution, the responsibility of several social sectors, such as health
and education, was devolved to the provinces. It is noteworthy, however, that the
framework accords the responsibility of ‘lead implementer’ to MoPD&SI for the
proposed objectives, rather than the relevant stakeholders who will be responsible
for carrying out the initiatives within their areas of jurisdiction. While a framework
to promote national strategic coordination for gender sensitivity is certainly a
welcome endeavour, its success depends on a clear understanding of the
administrative context of Pakistan, as well as hierarchies and reporting lines.

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A focused approach, with coordination at the federal and provincial levels, towards
gender equality and promoting the rights of women is the need of the hour. Any
policy framework aiming to work towards the betterment of women must be
interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral. The success of any policy framework depends on
the strength of its proposed implementation mechanism; in the case of the NGPF, it
is essential for reporting lines and implementation bodies to be clearly defined and
all relevant stakeholders to be represented in its Sub-Advisory Committee for
Gender Development. Hence, tailored policies, with specific goals, targets and
timelines are required. Consultations with key stakeholders, including government
representatives, academicians, subject specialists, religious leaders, youth leaders
etc. are essential for consensus building, correct identification of key priority areas
and sustainability of endeavours. As far as the way forward is concerned, it has to
be bifurcated into two parts i.e. medium & long-term approaches.

Medium-term

(a). Conduct a stock-taking exercise that maps out planned or in progress efforts
towards gender parity and women empowerment by various provinces, as well as
ministries and sectors of Pakistan, to streamline the NGPF’s initiatives, and ensure
there is no duplication. (b). Re-evaluate and prioritize proposed strategic priorities
and timelines bearing in mind Pakistan’s cultural context and Provincial disparities.
(c). Organize a consensus-building exercise with stakeholders from successive
governments for sustainability and smooth implementation of the framework. (d). A
conference of all political party leaders, as well as provincial heads, is to be
convened at the earliest by the MoPD& SI. (e). Integrate social media in all
awareness-building and behavioural change campaigns and initiatives. (f). Targeted
skill development of women in the Cottage and livestock industry is essential,
particularly as their products are a major contributor to Pakistan’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). (g). Provinces to work in collaboration with Local governments for
maximum women participation ensuring implementation through women-operated
programs.

There is a crucial need to broaden the definition of ‘gender’ in the conceptualization

of this framework to include transgender and develop tailored strategies for their
inclusion and well-being; otherwise, the title of the policy should be restricted to
‘National Women Development Framework’.

Long-term: (a). There is a need to cement strategic interventions with grassroots

changes in relevant legislations at the National and Provincial levels and ensure
compliance with said laws, such as those that pertain to child marriage and sexual
harassment. Dedication of resources is required to address root causes behind
strategic interventions, such as defusing widely prevalent myths and misinformation
to promote greater participation of women in the formal workforce, ensuring gender
equity and equality in education, training, employment and wages etc.

(b). Adoption of a gender perspective in budgeting exercises and increased

investment towards interventions that promote women’s access to essential SDGs
services, like education, healthcare and justice. For this, improvement of
institutional frameworks for data collection for regular use and adoption of gender-
disaggregated data in policymaking is also needed.

(c). and last but not the least, strategic priorities and KPIs to be made measurable,
achievable and time-bound in consultation with all the provinces, Aid-donors and
NGOs. Consequently, review and update the framework every five years in line with
regular assessment of implementation status and mid-course corrections.

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Amid all these critical issues, Kudos to President Alvi and Former Prime Minister
Imran Khan for this timely initiative of NGPF as it proves to be a much-needed and
timely intervention following the disproportionately high socio-economic impact
COVID-19 has had on women and girls, compared to men. It has elevated ‘gender’
from a previously relegated and often sidelined national agenda to a high-priority
one that deserves to be front and centre in discourse.

Likewise, NGPF utilizes an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to improve

gender sensitivity in various sectors of the economy, as it is impossible to fix
women’s issues with a myopic or one-dimensional perspective. More importantly, it
also triggered traditionally stigmatized and neglected topics, such as mental health
issues, maternity leave, female representation in leadership and reporting of women
harassment in workplaces.

On a broad level, the framework highlights the need for coordination at the Federal
and Provincial levels through the establishment of a national-level gender
accelerator/action lab. And it also draws attention to the need for evidence-based
and data-driven policymaking in all sorts of interventions

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