Disadvantage of Women in Pakistan

The South Asian subcontinent is the least gender sensitive region in the world. The sex ratio is 108 men to every 100 women making it the only place in the world where women are outnumbered to this extent. Pakistani women are suffering because of their gender. Being a female means that they are the subject to financial discrimination and they are the victims of inhumane actions and laws. These laws include Karo Kari, Hadood ordinance, Qasas. Also, if there was a woman as a witness in court her statement is worth only half of a male's. Karo Kari is known as honour killing. Last year there were 286 reported cases of women being murdered by male family members in the name of honour. The Hadhood Ordinance is a law against rape cases. The Pakistani law requires the evidence of four males in order for the penalty to force upon to the accused. These poor women only being half a witness can't even testify against the crime committed against them. Another law, "Qasas", is also used to victimize women. Under this law, if a person is killed and the victim's family compromises with the killer, they are paid with an agreed amount of money, given land or they are given a female of their choice.

Gender is one of the organizing principles of Pakistani society. Patriarchal values embedded

in local traditions and culture predetermine the social value of gender. An artificial divide between

production and reproduction, created by the ideology of sexual division of labor, has placed women in

reproductive roles as mothers and wives in the private arena of home and men in a productive role as

breadwinners in the public arena. This has led to a low level of resource investment in women by the

family and the State. Thus, low investment in women's human capital, compounded by the ideology

of purdah (literally "veiled"), negative social biases, and cultural practices; the concept of honor

linked with women's sexuality; restrictions on women's mobility; and the internalization of

patriarchy by women themselves, becomes, the basis for gender discrimination and disparities in all