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From Rhetoric to Reality: a Multilevel Analysis of Gender Equality in Pakistani Organizations

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  • Faiza Ali
  • Jawad Syed

Abstract

Despite numerous governmental attempts to improve women's employment and equality in Pakistan, statistics suggest that these effortxs have not been entirely fruitful. Steps taken by the government are usually in response to pressure from international donors and rights groups. However, there seem to be important contextual and sociocultural differences at play when it comes to how gender equality is to be achieved in organizational practice. Such differences, as well as an apparent lack of genuine commitment at the policy level, may explain why there remains a gap between the policy and praxis of gender equality in Pakistan. Informed by structural and relational perspectives of gender, this article draws on in‐depth qualitative interviews with female employees to explore the multilevel issues related to gender equality at the macro‐national, meso‐organizational and micro‐individual levels. In particular, it highlights such issues as societal norms of female modesty and gender segregation (macro), sexual harassment, career‐related challenges and income gap (meso), and family status and agency (micro).

Suggested Citation

  • Faiza Ali & Jawad Syed, 2017. "From Rhetoric to Reality: a Multilevel Analysis of Gender Equality in Pakistani Organizations," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(5), pages 472-486, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:24:y:2017:i:5:p:472-486
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12160
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Muhammad Azam Roomi & Guy Parrott, 2008. "Barriers to Development and Progression of Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 17(1), pages 59-72, May.
    2. Francine D. Blau & Andrea H. Beller, 1988. "Trends in Earnings Differentials by Gender, 1971–1981," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 41(4), pages 513-529, July.
    3. Faiza Ali & Robin Kramar, 2015. "An exploratory study of sexual harassment in Pakistani organizations," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 229-249, March.
    4. Jawad Syed, 2008. "A context-specific perspective of equal employment opportunity in Islamic societies," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 135-151, January.
    5. Beller, Andrea H, 1982. "The Impact of Equal Opportunity Policy on Sex Differentials in Earnings and Occupations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(2), pages 171-175, May.
    6. Syed, Jawad & Van Buren, Harry J., 2014. "Global Business Norms and Islamic Views of Women’s Employment," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(2), pages 251-276, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Inam Ul Haq & Dirk De Clercq & Muhammad Umer Azeem & Aamir Suhail, 2020. "The Interactive Effect of Religiosity and Perceived Organizational Adversity on Change-Oriented Citizenship Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 161-175, August.
    2. Barbara Grossman‐Thompson, 2020. "‘In This Profession We Eat Dust’: Informal and Formal Solidarity among Women Urban Transportation Workers in Nepal," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 51(3), pages 874-894, May.
    3. Owain Smolović Jones & Sanela Smolović Jones & Scott Taylor & Emily Yarrow, 2022. "Theorizing gender desegregation as political work: The case of the Welsh Labour Party," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 1747-1763, November.
    4. Mariam Mohsin & Jawad Syed, 2020. "The missing doctors — An analysis of educated women and female domesticity in Pakistan," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 1077-1102, November.
    5. Ayesha Masood & Muhammad Azfar Nisar, 2020. "Crushed between two stones: Competing institutional logics in the implementation of maternity leave policies in Pakistan," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 1103-1126, November.
    6. Ayesha Masood, 2019. "Doing gender, modestly: Conceptualizing workplace experiences of Pakistani women doctors," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 214-228, March.

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