Modelling Gender Dimensions of the Impact Of Economic Reforms in Pakistan

This article develops a gender aware computable general equilibrium model for Pakistan with productive and reproductive sectors of economy and intra household allocation of resources to assess the gender impact of two types of shocks: trade liberalisation and fiscal adjustment. Results indicate that economic reforms increase real wage income of women more than men but relative time poverty among women increases in both exercises. While capability poverty increase in poor households and reduces in rich. This implies that economic reforms are pro rich. Trade liberalization reduces monetary poverty among rich and increase in poor households. Contrary to this cut in government expenditure reduces monetary poverty as reduction in government expenditure dominates the impact of consumption, which increases at the expense of saving. In both exercises of intra household allocation, in poor/rich households, female absorb more adverse/favourable impact than males. The study concludes that prosperity as well as education helps to reduce gender gap in capability development and reduce monetary and relative time poverty.