In the recently released 2024 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, Pakistan ranks 148 out of 148. This is not just a statistic — it is a mirror to our collective failure. It reveals a deeply systemic problem we have become far too comfortable brushing aside. Gender inclusion is not a side project or a CSR initiative. It is the bedrock of any nation hoping to build a sustainable, equitable, and economically resilient future.

And yet, we treat it as a development-sector theme to be picked up, dusted off, and highlighted only when the timing is right, when donors are watching or a proposal needs to sound empathetic.

Our national obsession with innovation often skips over women entirely. We pursue blockchain pilots, crypto hubs, and AI accelerators with full force, claiming that Pakistan is on the move. But when it comes to gender inclusion — the most basic innovation of our time — we hesitate. We label it “soft.” We avoid it because it “won’t scale fast enough.” It gets deprioritized in strategy frameworks that chase speed and short-term impact.

The Karandaaz Financial Inclusion Survey (K-FIS) 2024, Karandaaz’s flagship study, paints a similarly bleak picture. Financial inclusion has increased from 8% in 2013 to 35% today — a notable leap. But scratch beneath the surface, and the gap between men and women is staggering:

Only 14 percent of women in Pakistan have access to a full-service financial account, compared to 56% of men.

Just 11 percent of women own a mobile wallet, compared to 48% of men.

While 82 percent of men own a mobile phone, only 46% of women do.

Despite the rise of fintech, 85 percent of Pakistanis still rely on informal credit sources like family or friends.

These numbers are not just data points. They are everyday barriers — silent exclusions that prevent more than 125 million women (over half our population) from fully participating in Pakistan’s economic and social fabric.

These structural gaps show in ways that are deeply personal and relentlessly persistent. In many workplaces, commitment is still measured by constant availability;........

© Business Recorder