Introduction
Pakistan ranked 148th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report 2025.[1] In Pakistan, only 5.2% of women hold senior leadership positions while men occupy 94.8% of these roles.[2] This disparity feels quite stark, but the real question is, even if women participate in the workforce in increasing numbers now more than ever, why do they still remain so underrepresented at the top?
The answer to this question lies in the very structure of the system itself. Our present economic system was built decades ago, at a time when women were largely excluded from professional work, and as a result, our assumptions about women’s availability and the division of labor continue to reflect a patriarchal mindset. In our society, where education is often treated as the finish line, sending a girl to school is viewed as getting yourself discharged of all responsibility. It is believed that once she’s given her so-called “equal opportunity”, whatever follows next is her burden to navigate alone, but equal access does not always warrant equitable outcomes.
Structural Constraints
Virginia E. Schein notes that even at the level of middle management, both men and women tend to associate leadership with traits traditionally coded as masculine.[3] Meaning, leadership is still viewed as “male”. Another study by Friedman and Greenhaus found that family responsibilities, such as caregiving and parenthood, disproportionately hinder women’s career progression as compared to men.[4] In today’s age, where women continue to shoulder a great share of domestic responsibilities, their ability to progress in their careers is often constrained by factors outside of the workplace. The question is no longer about women’s ability to climb the corporate ladder, but whether the system is designed in such a way that allows them to reach the top without them having to work twice as hard to stay there.
Such gender disparities are often more pronounced in professions such as law, business, and finance that are heavily male dominated. According to the Women in the Workplace 2025 report by McKinsey & Company, sponsorship is a key driver of career progression, with employees who have sponsors being promoted at nearly twice the rate of those who do not.[5] However, it is usually female managers rather than men who take the role of sponsoring young female professionals, but this is a never ending loop in itself.[6] With fewer women in senior positions, there aren’t enough sponsors for the growing number of women entering the field every year and as a result access to sponsorship and networking remains uneven for women trying to establish themselves in a “boys club”.
One Step Forward
All these issues combined with the unequal burden of childcare and lack of support thereof, make it extremely difficult for women to climb upwards. While Article 25 of the constitution promises to grant formal equality, the law requires specific reforms that shape the system so it actually works for women and not against them. One way of addressing this disparity is by increasing women’s representation in leadership by setting a target of at least 25% women in the workforce, alongside a minimum of 15% female representation in senior positions by 2030. One country that took a similar approach was France. In 2011, France introduced the Copé–Zimmermann Law which required at least 40% female representation in big companies and for smaller boards of eight or fewer, the law required that the difference between male and female directors should not exceed two. This legislation was accompanied by strict legal enforcement and companies that failed to comply faced sanctions including the suspension of directors remuneration. Over time this resulted in an increase in female representation across boards, with the number of female CEOs rising from 0.8% in 2010 to 9.1% in 2025.[7]
For most women, their biological and career clocks are ticking at the same time and the system is designed in a way to not accommodate both. Often women are expected to sacrifice their careers over their families or vice versa. In 2023 Pakistan came up with the Maternity and Paternity Leave Act, which seemed like a step forward towards a more progressive society, however, this law carries problems that need to be addressed. Under the Act, female employees are granted 180 days of leave while their male counterparts are only given 30. This 6:1 ratio between maternity and paternity leave, consciously or subconsciously signals employers that women are a greater investment risk for senior roles due to unavailability. By contrast Iceland’s 90 days non-transferrable parental leave policy for both parents is widely considered a benchmark for gender equality.[8] Policies like “use it or lose it” force the distribution of parental responsibilities which directly contribute to more female participation at work. Pakistan adopting a similar approach towards paternity leave could significantly help shape women’s lives.
The most immediate challenge women face post childbirth is managing their child alongside professional responsibilities. This burden is only multiplied by the lack of childcare facilities at the workplace. Under Section 3 of the Daycare Centers Act 2023, the federal government is required to ensure the establishment of day care centers in organizations with at least 70 employees. On the surface this law seems quite progressive but in practice, it leaves out a significant number of women working in small to mid sized companies. Lowering this threshold to companies with at least 30 employees could expand women’s access to childcare at work. Additionally, introducing tax incentives for smaller companies that voluntarily provide childcare support could encourage companies to offer more such facilities. For instance, in the UK employers offering childcare benefits avail tax and national insurance exemptions, making it a financially viable and attractive option for employers.[9]
In a system where women are treated unfairly because of a lack of support from senior managers, voicing their concerns means risking their careers. Upward anonymous feedback allows young women to evaluate their managers across multiple criteria like promotion fairness, biases and workplace harassment. Such policies offer a safe channel through which women can voice their concerns without facing any retaliation. In order to institutionalize this, all private and public entities with 50 or more employees, governed and regulated by the SECP, should be required to submit a feedback score of their manager’s performance reviews. The feedback must be independently administered and an Annual Gender Report must be submitted to the SECP. The SECP could then publicly rank these entities every year based on their aggregated feedback scores thereby creating a reputational pressure on those accountable.
Conclusion The persistence of the glass ceiling is not due to the lack of competence or ambition amongst women, but rather the result of a system designed with men at the forefront. Equality for women is unachievable for women who continue to face unequal burdens and workplace cultures that put them at a disadvantage. Such disparities are even more pronounced in a regressive country like Pakistan. Equitable legal reforms such as accessible childcare, stronger representation and accountability mechanisms help create workplaces that genuinely support wom
[1] https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2025/in-full/key-findings-3902497c1d/
[2] https://www.dawn.com/news/1854111
[3] Schein, V. E. (2007). Women in management: Reflections and projections. Women in Management Review, 22(1), 6–18.
[4] Friedman, S. D., & Greenhaus, J. H. (2000). Work and family — allies or enemies? What happens when business professionals confront life choices. Oxford University Press.
[5]https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/women-in-the-workplace
[6] Flippin, C. S. (2017). The glass ceiling is breaking, now what? Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, 41(3), 34–42.
[7] https://www.glasslewis.com/article/update-on-the-state-of-gender-diversity-within-french-boards
[8] Act on Maternity/Paternity Leave and Parental Leave No.144/2020
[9] Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (ITEPA 2003)
