Women in Pakistan make up 48.76% of the population according to the 2017 census of Pakistan.Women in Pakistan have played an important role throughout Pakistan’s history and they are allowed to vote in elections since 1956.In Pakistan, women have held high offices including that of the Prime Minister, Speaker of the National Assembly, Leader of the Opposition, as well as federal ministers, judges,and serving commissioned posts in the armed forces. Major General Shahida Malik, attaining the highest military post for a woman.
The status of women in Pakistan differ considerably across classes, regions and the rural/urban divide due to the uneven socioeconomic development and the impact of tribal and feudal
social formations on lives of women in Pakistan. Gender Concerns International reports that the overall women’s rights in Pakistan has improved with increasing number of women are educated and literate.
However, women in Pakistan face discrimination as result of patriarchal society of Pakistan. Some of the problem faced by women in Pakistan are domestic violence, honour killing, rape and abduction, marital rape, forced marriages, and induced abortions.
The Global Gender Gap Index report of 2020 ranked Pakistan 151 out of the total 153 countries.A survey carried out by Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) ranked Pakistan as sixth most dangerous country for women.
