Policy Brief on Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan

Abstract

In Pakistan, women work primarily in the home or on the farm. Their participation in work outside these areas, particularly in formal employment, is extremely low. It is possible that some forms of work by Pakistani women may be undercounted in surveys, as a large proportion of survey respondents may be working in agriculture or doing informal work at home, which is not counted and reported as work. However, the study analysis of the 2007 Pakistan Time Use Survey suggests that this is not a major driver of the patterns. The survey evidence clearly indicates that a very low proportion of Pakistani women work outside the home, where best-paid work opportunities abound.