ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) on Wednesday said share of women in poverty was rising in Pakistan as compared to men which needed immediate attention of authorities. Many countries have been ignoring poor in their struggle for improved economic growth which has triggered poverty with women affected most, said Dr Zakia Hashmi President IWCCI. In a statement issued here today, she said that our government should revisit some policies for the welfare of poor and reduce growing inequality, which is disturbing the society.
Dr Zakia said there were 1.5 billion poor in Asia in which 660 million were very poor; majority of world’s poor was living in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region. Human Development Index said 60.3 percent of Pakistanis live on $2 per day while according to United Nations Education Fund 71 pecentc of eligible girls did not attend secondary school, she added. Reasons behind poverty among women are cold attitude of policymakers, gender inequality, lack of education, absence of credit facilities and apathy towards small and medium enterprises etc. Women on average get 40 percent less salary in the SAARC region than their male colleagues while 80 percent of the children who dropped out of school in China were girls, she said.
