Overview

• Women in Pakistan earn on average 34% less than men, well above the roughly 20% global gap, according to the ILO’s Global Wage Report.
• The disparity is the largest in South Asia, outpacing estimates for India at about 25% as well as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
• A large share of women work in low‑paid informal roles such as agricultural labor, domestic service and home‑based manufacturing with minimal legal protection.
• Even within formal sectors, women with comparable qualifications are paid less than men, and the gap widens at senior levels, indicating a glass ceiling.
• Pakistan has measures such as maternity leave, anti‑harassment laws and public‑sector quotas, but weak enforcement leaves many workers without effective safeguards.