Feminist movement and legal framework in Pakistan : implications for equal employment opportunity

The paper examines the feminist movement and the legal framework in Pakistan with a view to evaluating their implications for equal employment opportunity (EEO) for women. The paper highlights that the discourse of EEO in Pakistan is lacking due to three key reasons: (1) feminist movements have traditionally focused on the private domain of life whereas women’s roles and issues in the public life such as employment in formal organisations are generally ignored; (2) a number of parallel judicial and legal systems have resulted in contradictory implications for women’s participation in education and employment; and (3) despite some provisions for gender equity within Pakistan’s legal framework, their enactment within employment contexts remains far from implemented.