Cloaked in the blood of women murdered for ‘honour’, pierced by the screams of women subjected to domestic violence, and pleased with the minimal economic independence for women, the Thomson Reuters Foundation recognized Pakistan as the 6th most dangerous country for women in the 2018 survey1.
According to the International Labour Organization, as of 2021, only 24.5% of the women were employed in the formal sector of Pakistan2. Financially and socially dependent on men, women suffer in every aspect hence, for many poverty stricken and uneducated households, marriage remains as the best option for economic relief. Thus, girls are groomed for marriage since childhood in accordance with the preferences of the eligible men and their families.
Marriage as an economic proposition leads to a lower age at first marriage for women, as men generally prefer younger brides due to their fertility, youth, and impressionable personalities. The bride’s family prefers marrying their daughters off at a younger age to increase the number of suitable marriage proposals, potentially reduce the amount of dowry to be given, and rid themselves of the economic burden of feeding and clothing the girl as soon as possible. As per UN Women, Pakistan has the 6th highest number of girls married before the age of 183.
However, a lower age at first marriage results in a deliberate lower level of education for girls, leading to a lack of relevant skillset for the formal labour market hence, reducing their chances of employment, and ensuring women’s dependence on men and the future poverty of the household as well, since the full economic potential of all the household members is not being realized. This also contributes to women having a lower threat point in their marriages due to their limited education and financial contribution to the household, as exemplified by the DHS Dataset 2018, which highlights that only 13.5% of early married women were employed in technical roles due to a lack of relevant skillset4 hence, directly resulting in lower autonomy in society as a whole. Such a cyclical relationship steered by an economic basis continues to negatively impact the development cycle of Pakistan in every aspect, be it economically or socially.
Ironically, Pakistani society does attempt to ensure women’s autonomy in their marriages, and eventually society, by adorning and embellishing this downward spiral, through investing in their dowries instead of their education. However, dowries as a solution serve as further encouragement towards early marriage, as a lower dowry may be acceptable to the groom and his family in return for a younger bride. Thus, continuing the wretched cycle which perceives women as social and economic liabilities not worth investing years of education in, which will subsequently reduce their fertility window as well, especially if they join the formal labour force. Although dowry may appear to protect women’s rights under a weak legal system, it must be considered that dowry payments may backfire if the husband ends up controlling the assets and funds, drastically raising the chances of domestic violence. Plus, dowry payments impoverish the bride’s family, further strengthening the economic basis for such gender discrimination and poverty within our society5.
Dowries and early marriages highlight how our priorities are out of order, which is the reason why such a downward spiral continues. Prioritising women’s marriages and men’s demands over women’s education and well-being for limited and short-term economic gain is one of the many reasons why our country ranks so abysmally in women’s rights indexes. Investing in girls’ education and encouraging female labour force participation is the apparatus required to break the generational trauma and the systematic cyclical abuse in order to pull ourselves out of the glittery and shiny downward spiral accessorized with red lehengas, gold jewelry, bedroom furniture sets, cars, and kitchen appliances.
Hareem Hassan Khan is a 2024 LUMS graduate with a degree of BSc (Hons). Economics and Political Science with a particular interest in development economics and international relations. She works as a research assistant at IDEAS and hopes to contribute to the development of society however possible.
1. Thomson Reuters Foundation, 2018. https://news.trust.org/item/20180612142134-9jrem/
2. Labour Force Statistics Database, International Labour Organization. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.NE.
ZS?end=2023&locations=PK&start=1991&view=chart
3. Young Women in Pakistan Status 2020, UN Women. https://pakistan.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field%20Office%20
ESEAsia/Docs/Publications/2020/11/pk-Young-Women-in-Pakistan-Status-Report-2020.pdf
4. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-2018. https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR354/FR354.pdf.
5. Makino, Momoe. “Dowry and Female Labour Force Participation in Pakistan.” Journal of International Development, 2016.
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