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Getting to Work: Women’s Empowerment in Pakistan – University of Victoria
October 3, 2017 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm EDT
On October 3, Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) and the University of Victoria hosted the community for an evening to join a conversation about women’s empowerment in Pakistan as part of AKFC’s annual University Seminar Series.
Women’s economic empowerment is fundamental to sustainable and inclusive economic growth. In Pakistan, despite important progress in access to education, health, and participation in community life for women, many women still face significant barriers accessing economic opportunities. Social norms reinforce stereotypes, limit women’s mobility outside the household and impact women’s personal agency. Many young women lack the skills, confidence and support to make key life decisions, including those related to employment and livelihoods. Within the labour market, the institutions intended to facilitate women’s participation are often weak and unable to implement laws meant to ensure women’s safety and security. This lack of a supportive environment discourages women from pursuing a wider range of employment opportunities – particularly those outside traditional income‐generating roles.
Yasmin Karim, Gender and Development Programme Manager, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme Pakistan, facilitated a conversation about achieving women’s empowerment in challenging contexts and how vocational and skills training in Pakistan is challenging social norms and transforming women’s roles in their household and their communities. By working through a case study, participants explored approaches, challenges and lessons learned implementing women’s economic empowerment programs.
Yasmin Karim is the Gender and Development Manager for the Enhancing Employability and Leadership for Youth project in northern Pakistan. Ms. Karim has spent over two decades with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in northern Pakistan implementing community development initiatives on women’s social and economic empowerment. In 2005, Yasmin was one of 1000 women collectively nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize through the 1000 Peace Women initiative, and in 2012 she was awarded the Human Rights Defender Award by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Financial support:
