Pakistan's corporate sector has traditionally been male-dominated, with women facing various impediments to senior roles. Female labour force participation (FLFP) rates in Pakistan are among the lowest in the region, with only 21% of the eligible female workforce formally working, and only 24% of the female population actively engaged in economic activities.

The representation of women in business leadership is more worrisome. Less than 5% of women are in top management positions in private enterprises, according to a survey conducted by the Pakistan Business Council and the International Finance Corporation. This underrepresentation also exists on corporate boards, where the gender disparity is sustained due to organisational biases, cultural norms and societal expectations.

Pakistan enacted the Companies Act of 2017 to encourage gender diversity in corporate governance to rectify this discrepancy. According to this law, enforced by the SECP, companies are required to have at least one female director on their boards. A step in the right........

© The Express Tribune