Pakistan needs to turn women into productive workforce: President

• He said that women needed to be encouraged in different fields.
• President expressed concern that fifty% of the women quit their careers.
• Dr Alvi said both religion and the country’s law supported women’s right.

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi said Pakistan direly needed financial inclusion of women to turn fifty percent of its population into a productive workforce.

He said helping women promote their business startups through information technology was the fastest route toward their empowerment.

Addressing an event BizNet 2023 themed ‘Celebrating Diversity, Inclusion and Pakistan Startups’, he said financial empowerment of women and other under-represented groups such as differently-abled persons was crucial for the progress of the country.

President Alvi emphasized gender parity at the level of organizations and companies and urged them to ensure their representation in mainstream and leadership roles.

In the digital age, he said, technology could increase the productivity and efficiency of a business. Inclusion of women in IT-related startups could also help them earn a livelihood from their homes, he added.

He stressed that women needed to be encouraged to become bank account holders in order to keep authority over their finances.

He pointed out that despite the rights enunciated by Islam for women, the culture and harassment were the two main impediments to their emancipation.

He highlighted that it was important for society to adopt a positive approach toward women by creating opportunities and ensuring a harassment-free culture for them.

The president expressed concern that fifty percent of the women graduates of medical colleges quit pursuing their careers after wedlock, which was a big loss of a talented workforce.

He proposed counseling parents, husbands, and women doctors to help them encourage in utilizing their professional capabilities.

He mentioned that both religion and the country’s law supported women’s right to inheritance, however, ills in the society hindered this in a majority of cases.

The president regretted that the business loans for women offered by the State Bank of Pakistan were not even utilized by five percent of them.

He mentioned that the Special technology Zones Authority could also play a role in advancing the role of women in diverse fields of economy.

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