We all firmly support the idea of women empowerment and truly believe that women are the backbone of society. There is no doubt that women participation in the economy can improve the economic indicators of the country. In China, women’s participation in the economy is 37%. Similarly, in India and Bangladesh, women’s participation is way higher than Pakistan’s, which stands at only 09%. These indicators clearly show that more female participation in the economy will help countries to improve their financial indicators and significantly enhance GDP growth in the country.
Despite having such beliefs, I rarely see anyone taking concrete measures for women’s financial inclusion. And by this, I don’t mean giving loans to women-led businesses only. It is about bringing more women into this circle. A good example of such an initiative is Karandaaz Financial Inclusion for Women Challenge, which aims to support ideas of financial products and services specifically directed at women consumers. These products and services would be created to help women to take full benefit of technologies to become self-sufficient and financially empowered.
ADNAN ALI MUGHAL,
Islamabad.