More education but less jobs for females

KARACHI: Despite outperforming the federal government in women’s representation, Sindh still has a strikingly low number of women in provincial jobs. This gap reflects persistent social barriers, as women’s strong educational participation has not translated into equal opportunities in public-sector employment.

According to a latest write up of Express Tribune although over 50 per cent of girls in the province receive education, women make up less than 10 per cent of government employees, largely due to social barriers and discrimination. While no official data exists, application statistics provide insight: in June 2023, over 122,000 candidates appeared for Sindh government job tests conducted by SIBA Testing Services, but fewer than 8 per cent were women.

A woman working in the Sindh Secretariat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, shared that she had been working there since 2015 and had faced many issues during this time, particularly inappropriate behavior from men, which often caused her ample distress. “It is true that our society still does not provide a favorable environment for women to work, but if a woman gathers the courage to move forward, she can overcome all kinds of obstacles and progress,” opined the employee.

It is worth noting that nearly 48 per cent of Sindh’s total population consists of women. Before 2015, the quota for women in provincial jobs was 5 per cent, which was later increased to 7 per cent, and in 2015 it was raised to 15 per cent. Despite this, there has not been a significant increase in the number of women in government jobs.

Social scientist and researcher Nasir Memon informed that although the proportion of girls receiving higher education had increased in both urban and rural areas of the province, their representation in government jobs remained extremely poor since the system was still dominated by men and girls faced serious social barriers.