Pakistan: ILO report flags 25 per cent gender pay gap, highlights barriers to women's economic participation

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 17 (ANI): Women in wage employment earn substantially lower wages than their male counterparts in Pakistan, according to a new report launched by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Dawn reported.
The 'Pakistan Gender Pay Gap Report 2025' estimates the gender pay gap at approximately 25 per cent based on hourly wages and 30 per cent based on monthly wages. The gender pay gap in Pakistan is also significant by international standards. In comparison, lower-middle-income countries -- the income group Pakistan falls under -- have an average gender pay gap of 21 per cent based on monthly wages and 17 per cent based on hourly wages, Dawn stated.
While launching the report, Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis Nadeem Aslam Chaudhary reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to ensuring equal pay for work of equal value.
He said the report and accompanying action plan represent a vital step towards identifying and addressing the barriers that hinder women's participation in the economy. "This would support Pakistan in progressively fulfilling its obligations under the ratified ILO Convention on Equal Remuneration and the Convention on Discrimination," Dawn quoted him as saying.
ILO Country Director Geir Tonstol also reiterated institutional support for the cause. "We now have the evidence, the commitment, and the partnerships to move from promise to practice. The ILO stands ready to support Pakistan in advancing fair and transparent wage-setting systems, formalising informal work, and creating real opportunities for women across all sectors," Dawn reported.
Alongside a large gender pay gap, the report highlights that women's employment remains limited in Pakistan. In 2021, women's employment rate was around 23 per cent compared to 79 per cent for men -- a gender employment gap of 56 percentage points, one of the highest in the South Asia region, Dawn noted.
This means that Pakistani women are substantially less likely than men to have paid jobs and that, even when they are in wage employment, women earn substantially less, the report said.
The report also finds that women account for just 13.5 per cent of employees in Pakistan. However, Dawn reported that data showed women in wage employment are more likely than men to have a high level of education.
In addition, Dawn reported that women employees are more likely than men to work in the public sector, in formal employment, and jobs with permanent contracts, professional occupations, and larger firms. (ANI)