Financial Freedom: An Embezzled Choice
Tags: Empowerment, Empowering Women, Women, Womens Rights, Financial Freedom

All political and societal arrangements employ concepts that serve as the foundation for the construction of a nation. “Freedom” is one such notion that is intrinsically linked with other principles such as “rights” and “equality” and similarly, the concept of financial freedom has deeper connotations than the mere economic value we attach to it. The mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits that result from financial freedom greatly assist in autonomous self-realization. No role is too big or small, every individual that participates in an economic ecosystem is responsible for the function of the entire entity. Imagine an ecosystem in which half the population isn’t “able” to perform its duties; the system would simply collapse. In the same way, when the women of Pakistan are refrained from contributing to the economic ecosystem, the Pakistani economy is dangerously impacted. What is alarming is that women are not failing to show up due to inability or lack of will, but due to misconstrued societal norms. When analyzing Pakistan’s economic system as a whole, it becomes easier to understand the detriment is caused by insufficient female participation in the workforce.

The greatest obstacle in improving the status of women’s contribution to the economy is the lack of education. Data from a Female Labour Force Survey (Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement 2004–5) shows that 70% of the female labor force participation is illiterate. Of the remaining 30%, only 11% have completed education up to matric, 9% completed primary school, 3% completed higher education, and only 7% graduated. A different study conducted by the University of Gujrat discovered that the cultural barriers that prevent females from receiving an education are deeply rooted in the patriarchal structures that induce gender discrimination. Issues such as preferential treatment of the male children in the family lead to less resource allocation for girls; the specifications of constructed gender roles determine the opportunities a girl has beginning at the earlier stages of life. Furthermore, long distances to better quality and higher-level institutes pose a threat to women’s safety and security. Consequently, a majority of families worry about the threats posed by a co-education system and what they will mean for their families’ honor.

It is evident that to revive Pakistan’s economy, women must play their part. Promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment is one of the eight United Nations Millennial Developmental Goals and it is the lack of access Pakistani females have to an education and jobs that support the severity of this issue. Hindering a woman’s freedom to an education impacts the direction of her entire life. If she isn’t “allowed” to work, it is essentially because she doesn’t have the chance to. Better economic opportunity for women in Pakistan not only boosts the country’s gross domestic product per capita but more importantly, it gives women the choice to a better quality of life. A choice to build a greater future for herself and her family.