DefinePK

Abstract

Among human societies, the debate over gender equality in the workforce has long been a crucial topic. Each society presents different challenges to gender equality in the workforce, according to each society's social, cultural, religious, geographic, and other unique features. This study examines such challenges to women's rights to work in Gilgit Baltistan - the northern part of Pakistan - in the context of socio-cultural factors and within the domain of national and local legal framework in the region. Despite legal guarantees like the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018 and the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2013, women in Gilgit-Baltistan face many obstacles to exercising their right to work. These obstacles are deeply rooted in the social and cultural norms, including the patriarchal principles, superstitious beliefs of gender roles and institutional discrimination, etc. To determine these factors, this study analyzes survey responses from 412 participants from all the districts of Gilgit Baltistan on the one hand and conducts a systematic review of the existing literature and legal framework in the region on the other. The survey findings revealed a complex scenario: the respondents on the one side believed the notion of women’s right to work is generally accepted in the region and workplaces are safe and inclusive. Yet, simultaneously, they acknowledged the existence of patriarchal family structure, traditional superstitious beliefs regarding women's roles in the workforce, fear of harassment, and gender discrimination in recruitment, promotions, and wages at workplaces. The study underlines the difference between this abstract acceptance of the notion of female rights to work in Gilgit Baltistan and the practical obstacles in the way of exercising this right. It contributes to the discourse on women’s right to work in Gilgit-Baltistan and other marginalized societies of Pakistan, and advocates for translating legal rights into tangible outcomes.