Women Empowerment 1

INTRODUCTUON:

A ll Over the world the demographic proved that developed countries generally
have a very high rate of educated and participated women. Women
participation provides impetus to the economy, but the degree of women
productivity depends upon her level of education and social awareness. A well
informed and dynamic female segment can help a country in accelerating the pace of
its economy and gain a competitive advantage.

In many countries women make no more than 20% to 30% of undergraduate students
and in still others their participation is extremely low. The most recent data released
by American Association of University Professor last month shows that the
percentage of women faculty ahs increased to 33.8%however more than half of these
women are in lowest faculty rank and just 18.7% of full professor are women. Two
third of the non-literate around the world are women. Educated women tend to plan
families and improve quality of life.

Discussion relating to women empowerment have concluded that due to cultural

complexities in the under developed world, many families consider a make offspring
to be valuable asset while a daughter is considered as a liability and insecurity. Thus
sons are provided with educational opportunities while daughters are largely confined
at home for domestic work, It is commonly observed in such societies that man prefer
to marry less qualified women to enjoy the dominating role.

Women Entrepreneurs:

The term Women Entrepreneur refers to a woman who is running her own or family
own business or be defined as the women or a group of women who initiate, organize
and operate a business enterprise. Like a male entrepreneurs a women entrepreneur
has many functions. They should explore the prospects of starting new enterprise;
undertake risks, introduction of new innovations, coordination administration and
control of business and providing effective leadership in all aspects of business.

Global Labor Market: Percentage of Female Labor

• In Europe, the activity rate of women in the labor market has increased in
the last two decades.
• In Denmark it is 46.9%.
• In the Netherlands it increased from 24.2% in 1975 to 40.6% in 1993.
• In the USA and Canada it grew from 37% and 32% respectively in 1970 to
45% in 1990.
• In Pakistan it merely increased from 6.6% in 1968/69 to 13.6% in 1996/97.

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STATUS OF WOMEN IN PAKISTAN

The business environment for women in Pakistan reflects the complex interplay of
many factors, which fall into two basic categories. The first is made up of social,
cultural, traditional and religious elements. This aspect of the environment has taken
shape over many centuries; it is anchored in the patriarchal system and clearly
manifested in the lower status of women. The gender bias of this type of system is
rigid and deep-rooted as it draws legitimacy from the perpetuation of a traditional
mind-set, established rituals and a firm belief system.

The second group of factors derives from the first group, taking the form of
constitutional structures, policy documents, regulatory arrangements and institutional
mechanisms. This category is contemporary rather than traditional, so it is
cosmetically impartial. The traditional systems pose difficulties for women in general
and entrepreneurs in particular in two ways. First, they are inherently discriminatory;
and second, they inhibit the equity-based composition of modern institutions and their
fair working, as modern institutions are derived from traditional ones.

The social and cultural picture — with slight variations according to geographical
region and social class — perpetuates a traditional patriarchal structure with
compartmentalized gender roles. The stereotyped functions of reproduction and
production assigned to men and men determine the overall ambiance of Pakistani
society and also establish the status of both sexes. The reproductive role limits women
to the home, where they bear children and raise the family, playing only an auxiliary
part in production activity. The tradition of male honor associated with the chastity of
their female relations restricts women’s mobility, limits social interaction and imposes
a check on their economic activity. The social, cultural and traditional taboos on
women allow men to carve legitimacy for themselves in public affairs, as well as in
the sphere of production and related economic activity.

The modern institutional environment has a cosmetic tinge of equality and sometimes
even discriminates positively in favor of women but the underlying power of tradition
and the vested interests of the patriarchal system work to maintain the status quo. The
legal framework, the policy environment and the regulatory structures thus embed —
or are interpreted — to discriminate against the economic activity of women. Article
25 of the Constitution of Pakistan (1973), for example, guarantees equality of rights to
all citizens irrespective of sex, race and class and also empowers the government to
take action to protect and promote women’s rights. But contemporary legislation
covertly discriminates against women’s economic activity as producers and providers
of services.

The policy and regulatory environments are cosmetically better as they sometimes
positively discriminate in favor of women The most recent example is the draft Labor
Policy of the Government of Pakistan that pays lip service to female labor force issues
without announcing any tangible steps to redress the problems of women workers.
The regulatory environment does not generally discriminate against women but even
well-intentioned provisions can sometimes result in negative discrimination. An
example would be the highly skewed labor structure of the apparel industry in

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Pakistan. Employment figures show that about 90% of workers in this sector are male.
This is exactly opposite to the situation in other South Asian countries where 90% of
workers in the apparel industry are women. The difference is explained by a labor
regulation in Pakistan that restricts the employment of women after 7 p.m. Hence the
long hours often required in this industry provide a disincentive to employ women
The problem is further compounded by the complex interplay of traditional and
contemporary factors. The male head of a Pakistani family would not allow his female
relations to work in a factory after sunset. The domestic responsibilities of women
workers make it impossible for them to work long hours outside the home. Employers
do not like to hire women who might ask for maternity leave/benefits. And last but not
least, women trainees would not be welcome at all the production places where Ustad-
Shagird is the predominant mode of apprenticeship.

The World Bank Country Gender Profile of Pakistan deplores the fact that the status
of women in Pakistan is among the lowest in the world. UNDP (1996) describes the
strong “inside/outside” dichotomy in Pakistan, where women are restricted to the
“inside” space of home and household, embodied in the tradition of veiling. This
restricts women's access to education, employment, training opportunities and social
services.

The logical outcome of a gender-biased environment is the low status and weak
bargaining position of women The sex-disaggregated comparison of national statistics
and comparative regional benchmarking indicate the disadvantaged position of
women who try to start or run a business in Pakistan.

THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN

ENTREPRENEURS

The hardest thing about getting started is getting started.”

Guy Kawasaki

Women entrepreneurs do not operate in isolation. They work under the same macro,
regulatory and institutional framework as their male counterparts in a free market
mechanism in Pakistan. It is necessary to dig deeper to understand the gender biases
embedded in society which limit women’s mobility, interactions, active economic
participation and access to business development services.

The business environment for women in Pakistan reflects the complex interplay of
many factors, which fall into two basic categories. The first is made up of social,
cultural, traditional and religious elements. This aspect of the environment has taken
shape over many centuries: it is anchored in the patriarchal system and clearly
manifested in the lower status of women. The gender bias of this type of system is
rigid and deep-rooted as it draws legitimacy from the perpetuation of a traditional
mind-set, established rituals and a firm belief system.

The second group of factors derives from the first group, taking the form of
constitutional structures, policy documents, regulatory arrangements and institutional
mechanisms. This category is contemporary rather than traditional, so it is

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cosmetically impartial. The traditional systems pose difficulties for women in general
and entrepreneurs in particular in two ways. First, they are inherently discriminatory;
and second, they inhibit the equity-based composition of modern institutions and their
fair working, as modern institutions are derived from traditional ones.

The social and cultural picture — with slight variations according to geographical
region and social class — perpetuates a traditional patriarchal structure with
compartmentalized gender roles. The stereotyped functions of reproduction and
production assigned to women and men determine the overall ambiance of Pakistani
society and also establish the status of both sexes.
The reproductive role limits women to the home, where they bear children and raise
the family, playing only an auxiliary part in production activity. The tradition of male
honor associated with the chastity of their female relations restricts women’s mobility,
limits social interaction and imposes a check on their economic activity. The social,
cultural and traditional taboos on women allow men to carve legitimacy for
themselves in public affairs, as well as in the sphere of Production and related
economic activity.

THE PROBLEMS BEING FACED BY WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

IN PAKISTAN

When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You

have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can
allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours
and yours alone."
- Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

Women Entrepreneurs have to face several problems in many developing Countries

and Pakistan is not exception. The Lack of Access to information especial information
relating to Business and Technology poses a major hindrance in the progress of
women owned enterprises in Pakistan. Women, in Pakistan, have limited access to
technology and information, which leads to many problems.

Their access to information is mainly limited because of the restraint on their mobility
and communication due to socio-cultural factors. Lack of access to information
hinders women entrepreneurs in many ways. A new start-up is never an easy job and
it is made more difficult when access to information regarding laws and regulations is
limited. Also women entrepreneurs, due to their limited resources and limited
accessibility usually do not have information about supplies; middles men and lack
know how about working out the feasibility of their start-ups.

The lack of access to information and technology also leads to certain marketing
problems, such as packaging and designing. With better access to business and
technical information women entrepreneurs could also avail the opportunity of
marketing and selling through the World Wide Web.

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1. The greatest deterrent to women entrepreneurs is that they are women. A kind of
patriarchal – male dominant social order is the building block to them in their way
towards business success. Male members think it a big risk financing the ventures run
by women.

2. The financial institutions are skeptical about the entrepreneurial abilities of women.
The bankers consider women loonies as higher risk than men loonies. The bankers put
unrealistic and unreasonable securities to get loan to women entrepreneurs. According
to a report by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO),
"despite evidence that women's loan repayment rates are higher than men's, women
still face more difficulties in obtaining credit," often due to discriminatory attitudes of
banks and informal lending groups (UNIDO, 1995b).

3. Entrepreneurs usually require financial assistance of some kind to launch their

ventures - be it a formal bank loan or money from a savings account. Women in
developing nations have little access to funds, due to the fact that they are
concentrated in poor rural communities with few opportunities to borrow money
(Starcher, 1996; UNIDO, 1995a). The women entrepreneurs are suffering from
inadequate financial resources and working capital. The women entrepreneurs lack
access to external funds due to their inability to provide tangible security. Very few
women have the tangible property in hand.

4. Women's family obligations also bar them from becoming successful entrepreneurs
in both developed and developing nations. "Having primary responsibility for
children, home and older dependent family members, few women can devote all their
time and energies to their business" (Starcher, 1996, p. 8).The financial institutions
discourage women entrepreneurs on the belief that they can at any time leave their
business and become housewives again. The result is that they are forced to rely on
their own savings, and loan from relatives and family friends.

5. Pakistani women give more emphasis to family ties and relationships. Married
women have to make a fine balance between business and home. More over the
business success is depends on the support the family members extended to women in
the business process and management. The interest of the family members is a
determinant factor in the realization of women folk business aspirations.

6. Another argument is that women entrepreneurs have low-level management skills.

They have to depend on office staffs and intermediaries, to get things done, especially,
the marketing and sales side of business. Here there is more probability for business
fallacies like the intermediaries take major part of the surplus or profit. Marketing
means mobility and confidence in dealing with the external world, both of which
women have been discouraged from developing by social conditioning. Even when
they are otherwise in control of an enterprise, they often depend on males of the
family in this area.

7. The male - female competition is another factor, which develop hurdles to women
entrepreneurs in the business management process. Despite the fact that women
entrepreneurs are good in keeping their service prompt and delivery in time, due to
lack of organisational skills compared to male entrepreneurs women have to face
constraints from competition. The confidence to travel across day and night and even

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different regions and states are less found in women compared to male entrepreneurs.
This shows the low level freedom of expression and freedom of mobility of the
women entrepreneurs.

8. Knowledge of alternative source of raw materials availability and high negotiation

skills are the basic requirement to run a business. Getting the raw materials from
different souse with discount prices is the factor that determines the profit margin.
Lack of knowledge of availability of the raw materials and low-level negotiation and
bargaining skills are the factors, which affect women entrepreneur's business
adventures.

9. Knowledge of latest technological changes, know how, and education level of the
person are significant factor that affect business. The literacy rate of women in India is
found at low level compared to male population. Many women in developing nations
lack the education needed to spur successful entrepreneurship. They are ignorant of
new technologies or unskilled in their use, and often unable to do research and gain
the necessary training (UNIDO, 1995b, p.1). Although great advances are being made
in technology, many women's illiteracy, structural difficulties, and lack of access to
technical training prevent the technology from being beneficial or even available to
females ("Women Entrepreneurs in Poorest Countries," 2001). According to The
Economist, this lack of knowledge and the continuing treatment of women as second-
class citizens keep them in a pervasive cycle of poverty ("The Female Poverty Trap,"
2001). The studies indicate that uneducated women don’t have the knowledge of
measurement and basic accounting.

10. Low-level risk taking attitude is another factor affecting women folk decision to
get into business. Low-level education provides low-level self-confidence and self-
reliance to the women folk to engage in business, which is continuous risk taking and
strategic cession making profession. Investing money, maintaining the operations and
ploughing back money for surplus generation requires high risk taking attitude,
courage and confidence. Though the risk tolerance ability of the women folk in day-
to-day life is high compared to male members, while in business it is found opposite
to that.

11. Achievement motivation of the women folk found less compared to male
members. The low level of education and confidence leads to low level achievement
and advancement motivation among women folk to engage in business operations and
running a business concern.

12. Finally high production cost of some business operations adversely affects the
development of women entrepreneurs. The installation of new machineries during
expansion of the productive capacity and like similar factors dissuades the women
entrepreneurs from venturing into new areas.

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HOW TO DEVELOP WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS?

“An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he'll
quickly learn how to chew it.”
- Roy Ash, co-founder of Litton Industries

Right efforts on from all areas are required in the development of women
entrepreneurs and their greater participation in the entrepreneurial activities.
Following efforts can be taken into account for effective development of women
entrepreneurs.

1. Consider women as specific target group for all developmental programmed.

2. Better educational facilities and schemes should be extended to women folk from
government part.

3. Adequate training programmed on management skills to be provided to women

community.

4. Encourage women's participation in decision-making.

5. Vocational training to be extended to women community that enables them to

understand the production process and production management.

6. Skill development to be done in women's polytechnics and industrial training

institutes. Skills are put to work in training-cum-production workshops.

7. Training on professional competence and leadership skill to be extended to women

entrepreneurs.

8. Training and counseling on a large scale of existing women entrepreneurs to

remove psychological causes like lack of self-confidence and fear of success.

9. Counseling through the aid of committed NGOs, psychologists, managerial experts

and technical personnel should be provided to existing and emerging women
entrepreneurs.

10. Continuous monitoring and improvement of training programmed.

11. Activities in which women are trained should focus on their marketability and
profitability.

12. Making provision of marketing and sales assistance from government part.

13. To encourage more passive women entrepreneurs the Women training

programmed should be organized that taught to recognize her own psychological
needs and express them.

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14. State finance corporations and financing institutions should permit by statute to
extend purely trade related finance to women entrepreneurs.

15. Women's development corporations have to gain access to open-ended financing.

16. The financial institutions should provide more working capital assistance both for
small scale venture and large scale ventures.

17. Making provision of micro credit system and enterprise credit system to the
women entrepreneurs at local level.

18. Repeated gender sensitization programmed should be held to train financiers to

treat women with dignity and respect as persons in their own right.

19. Infrastructure, in the form of industrial plots and sheds, to set up industries is to be
provided by state run agencies.

20. Industrial estates could also provide marketing outlets for the display and sale of
products made by women.

21. A Women Entrepreneur's Guidance Cell set up to handle the various problems of
women entrepreneurs all over the state.

22. District Industries Centers and Single Window Agencies should make use of
assisting women in their trade and business guidance.

23. Programmed for encouraging entrepreneurship among women are to be extended

at local level.

24. Training in entrepreneurial attitudes should start at the high school level through
well-designed courses, which build confidence through behavioral games.

25. More governmental schemes to motivate women entrepreneurs to engage in small

scale and large-scale business ventures.

26. Involvement of Non Governmental Organizations in women entrepreneurial

training programmers and counseling.

WOMEN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMED IN PAKISTAN

1. BUNYAD—Mobilink Project:

With a vision to use modern technology to reach pout and educate women in far flung
areas of Pakistan, the cellular companies like mobilink launched a broad based
prominent social sector Organization named “Bunyad” also joined in assist in its
initiative, It was highly productive exercise carried out through versatile collaboration
between public and private sector organization. This innovative social uplift drive
promoted female literacy by adopting cell phones as a medium to deliver educational

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messages to a ;large number of selected women, living in distant town and villages.
They were motivated to upgrade their reading and writing skills. One of the learners,
Bilqees bibi aged 28 said, “I am extremely glad that I joined the course and learned to
read and write. Earlier I had to go to PCO to make a phone call, but now I won a
mobile phone and I know how to use it. I can read and write long sms messages with
ease”

2. U.S. Assists Pakistani Women Entrepreneurs

April 9, 2010

Islamabad - In a ceremony held on Thursday, April 8, the United States recognized 20

Pakistani businesswomen who recently completed a two-day U.S.-sponsored training
on the processes and benefits of formal exports. The event also honored supportive
family members for the important contributions they make to the success of female-
owned enterprises.

Women are half of this country's strength, and any effort to enhance Pakistan's share
in the global markets needs to recognize the inherent barriers women face and take
steps to encourage their economic participation and entrepreneurship," U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID) Associate Mission Director Jim Barnhart said
during the ceremony. "These programs are only the first of many U.S. government
initiatives that will be launched in consultation with Pakistani organizations to support
women in the marketplace and improve the economic health of the nation."

From March 25 to April 9, 2010, more than 100 women entrepreneurs from Punjab,
Sindh, Balochistan, NWFP and FATA participated in training programs held in
Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. Due to high demand, with over 500
applications received, USAID will conduct another round of trainings in May and
June. By June 2010, USAID will have trained nearly 350 current and potential
women exporters across Pakistan.

Workshop on Financing Issues of Women Entrepreneurs

April 5, 2010

The Development Finance Support Unit, SBPBSC-Lahore arranged a workshop on

the financing issues of Women Entrepreneurs on 9th March, 2010 at SBPBSC Lahore.
The purpose of arranging this workshop was to discuss the finance related issues of
women entrepreneurs with the senior representatives of banks extending SME finance
in the Lahore region. In this workshop, the senior officials from the banking sector,
chambers of commerce & industry and other relevant institutions participated and
shared their views and experiences.

The unique feature of this workshop was that the women entrepreneurs who have
actually faced difficulties in obtaining loans from banks shared their problems
particularly with the banks whereas the senior bankers discussed their viewpoint in
assessing SMEs for a loan and gave clarification on certain issues. The workshop was
conducted in the form of the following presentations delivered by various stakeholders

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to discuss their points of view on the financial problems of women

entrepreneurs/SMEs, the impact of finance on their earnings and policy
recommendations.

3. Chamber Management and Entrepreneurship Development in Sialkot

November 24, 2009

In Sialkot, Pakistan, the Center for International Private Enterprise conducted a

workshop for women executive committee members on chamber management and
entrepreneurship development. The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry has
also formed a committee on women entrepreneurs.

WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS SUCCESS STORIES:

1. Ambreen Bukhari
Jewelry business, Islamabad

Ambreen faced a volley of troubles and criticism when she dared to enter into a
difficult business. She collects cuts and exports precious stones and prepares studded
jewelry for the domestic market. Nobody believed her when she decided to do this
business 11 years back. It was considered a purely male domain, as one is supposed to
travel to the mountains, interact with male entrepreneurs for the management of
backward and forward linkages of the business, and to explore actively for the niche
markets. Many of her colleagues thought that it would be insulting for men that a
female entrepreneur wanted to do this business, but she started it and is successful at
it. She completed her post-graduate studies abroad and specialized in geology.

She divorced and returned to Pakistan with her two daughters and started this business
soon after in what for her was very difficult circumstances. However, she was
confident and wanted to make herself stronger so as to support her children and to be
able to tackle the cruelties in life. That made her fearless in her resolve to do business
and to fight against all odds. Today she has full floor showroom for her jewelry in a
business center in the most famous market of Islamabad. She also arranges exhibitions
in Islamabad and Karachi and has participated in international events. She is a leading
exporter of precious stones and has represented Pakistan at a couple of international
forums. She also works as a consultant and imparts training in stone-cutting
techniques.

2. Firdous Huda

Firdousi Beauty Parlour, Islamabad

Firdous is of the view that the business environment for women entrepreneurs is
getting better gradually. She has three children and started her own beauty parlour 12
years before. She started working in the famous beauty parlour Depilex first. Having
served there for years, she went abroad and got married. She has three children and
eventually separated from her husband. She completed a couple of beautician courses
abroad and then returned to Pakistan. Her father encouraged her to start a business and

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provided financing as well. Her brother did not appreciate the idea though. However,
she was constrained to do something to take care of herself and her three children.

She started her business in the ground floor of her house, and moved upstairs to live
on the first floor with her children. The business soon became popular and she felt that
she needed to arrange a separate place for it. She did not have resources to do so. She
kept working hard to save money until she could get her present premises. Firdous
believes in a personalized service for her customers. She says that the quality and
standard of her service together are enough to market her business, and she does not
need any more marketing effort than that. She has 16 female employees and plans to
expand her business to other cities. She understands that for women doing business is
difficult as they have to bear children and raise them, while male entrepreneurs
absolve themselves from these responsibilities. She is confident though, that
everything is possible in life through sheer hard work and dedication.

Naheed Fatima

Tution Centre, Rawalpindi

Naheed started her tuition center five years ago. She wanted to open a school but was
scared of the lengthy process, finding the start-up capital, and the taxes of the
government. ?I come from a lower-middle class so I did not have much resources to
start a school. I did not have collateral so there were no chances of getting formal
financing. I did not have connections in the government to manage the registration
and taxation processes, so I decided to go for a tuition center; a more informal
option?, she recollects. She had never entered into a business before and was a bit
reluctant to take any risks, so she decided to make a very humble start.

The major reason behind starting this center was the economic difficulties that her
family was facing. She had graduated some years before, as did her sisters, but they
were all dependent upon the meager income generated by their male members of the
family. The small income of the family and rising inflation persuaded Naheed?s
family to support her in running this center. The family was very helpful as they
thought that this business did not involve any male interaction, as she exclusively
focused on female students. Soon two of her sisters joined her as they were
unemployed and they recruited two more teachers to start instruction in other subjects
as well. Naheed is now running a successful tuition center and intends to expand it
further as a model school.

She has gained a lot of business confidence, but is not very sure how long it is going
to take to start a fully-fledged school. She is a bit unhappy about the plight of women
in Pakistan, and is wary of the fact that females are in a very weak bargaining position
in society. As a woman she feels very insecure in the Pakistani society.

Dr. Shakila

Shafi Hospital, Rawalpindi

The biggest problem for women in business is men, as they dominate every kind of
activity in Pakistan?, says Shakila. She also lauds her husband who has been very

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supportive of her in establishing and doing her medical services business. She used to
have a government job at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in
Islamabad, but it started to become increasingly difficult for her as she had to
commute a long distance. She also wanted to spend more time with her children,
which was not possible after everyday?s work commitments.

Then she decided to open her own small hospital near her home. She bought a piece of
land with the help of her husband and established her medical clinic. There was no
lady doctor in that area at that time, but even still very few patients turned up in the
beginning. The area where she is running a clinic is predominantly backward and
most of the residents are illiterate. She bought an x-ray machine and ultrasound
equipment for the use of her patients. ?It is a slow process to win the confidence of
people and make them use modern facilities as they are conditioned to using
traditional methods?, she laments. But she is continuing with her profession, as she
believes that she is not simply running a business, but doing a noble job. She is very
grateful to her husband for his great support, without which her business would not
have been possible. She employs 13 people and takes most of business decisions with
the help of her husband.

Talat Peerzada

Muitat, Islamabad

Talat has three children. She had been very fond of Chinese cuisine right from her
childhood. She used to cook it herself, and always kept herself busy with new cuisine
and doing experiments for improving their taste. Her family and friends always
appreciated her cooking abilities, but she had never thought of marketing her ideas
until her husband, who works for Pakistan Army, was posted to a far-off place. She
had to stay in Islamabad for her children?s schooling.

That was the crucial time when she decided to establish a Chinese restaurant to kill
her boredom, and to use her time in a productive way. She thought that it would be a
good experience for her, and she would be able to earn some money that could be
used to educate her children better. Right from the beginning she was very confident
that her business would thrive, although she soon felt that the general public did not
appreciate having a lady sitting at the reception desk of a restaurant and managing five
male employees.

She faced some initial hiccups in her business, but it progressed more or less smoothly
right from the beginning. ?It was quite difficult to mange everything, from buying
fresh vegetables to preparing large quantity of food with the same taste and
freshness?, she recalls. She had to put in long hours at the restaurant and take care of
the quality of food and service, but it has paid her back well. Today she is running a
successful restaurant which is popular for its quality of food and service. She started a
home delivery service more than a year ago and this is going very well. Talat is of the
opinion that women entrepreneurs need help in dealing with the government, and
especially the income tax officials.

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Adeeba Talat

Lok Virsa Boutique, Lahore

Adeeba got married at the age of 15. She had hardly finished her matriculation at that
time. She is 40 now, the mother of five children, and running her own business for the
last 10 years. Adeeba was very fond of dress designing from the beginning, and her
mother-in-law encouraged her to start designing and selling clothes. She was short of
money and wanted to be independent as well. Hence she decided to do her own
business, and she chose crochet lace clothes to start with. The idea caught on quickly
as it was relatively new in the market and public response was very good. This gave
her some business confidence and she decided to expand by making outfits to be sold
in the market. She made a verbal contract with a local shopkeeper to sell her clothes
by displaying at his shop. This turned out to be a very bad experience.

The treacherous shopkeeper sold her clothes but never paid her. She was not the only
one who became the victim of a male retailer. Many of her friends told her that their
small initiatives had met with the same fate. Disgruntled and disappointed, Adeeba
decided not to use this marketing channel any more but resolved to carry on with her
business. She changed her strategy and started direct marketing by participating in the
local exhibitions and fun-fairs. A moderate response in the beginning soon turned into
a good stream of orders. These days she serves a number of clients, but produces only
to order. Her husband manages the marketing and sales, while she manages designing
and production. Adeeba intends to expand her business and enter into the export
market. The main purpose behind earning more money is to send her son abroad for
higher education. She has recently sent some designs to her sister who lives in the
USA and is expecting to get some orders from

Farah Yousuf

Comeily Collection, Lahore

?Doing business is the responsibility of men. Why are women doing it?? This is how
Farah thinks Pakistani society responds to women doing business. Farah Yousuf was
only 18 when she got married to a chartered accountant in Karachi. She came to
Lahore after her marriage and completed her bachelor?s degree. Her father
encouraged her to start a small business in the garments sector, as it was her hobby to
design clothes for the family. She took his advice and started operating at a very small
level by holding exhibitions at the Hotel Pearl Continental with the collaboration of
different designers, and using her own brand name. Soon the brand name became
popular and she started selling at all the shopping malls at Lahore.

She then expanded her business to Karachi, which was again a success. She joined
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1998 and became a member of the
Women Entrepreneur Society of Pakistan. She visited Australia, Jeddah and India
with trade delegations to enter into the export market. However, her business was
facing a financial crunch at that time. She had spent all her savings, but she
desperately needed working capital. She contacted a couple of financial institutions
but could not manage to get financing. In the meantime, one of her partners ditched
her and the whole business plunged into troubles. That was a great setback to the

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business and it took her some time to recover from this. Her husband and family
helped her to come out of this and she rejuvenated her business in February 2001.
These days she is in the process of tapping some international customers, and she is
showing new hope and vigor.

Sobia Qadir Khan

Sobia Khans, Lahore

As a young businesswoman Sobia is skeptical about the continuation of her business.

The biggest threat she faces is the uncertainty of business after her marriage. ? I
cannot develop my business to the extent I want to, because I don?t know the situation
after my marriage. I don?t know if I am going to stay in Pakistan or go abroad!? Sobia
feels strongly that there is a positive change in the societal attitude towards the women
doing business, but the perceptions based on the stereotyped roles of women in a
patriarchal society like Pakistan are a big constraint.

She thinks that a change is taking place, and society in general has started recognizing
that females are more brilliant than their male counterparts. This may eventually
demystify the outmoded stereotypes in the future, but the change is slow. Sobia did
her B.Sc. in Home Economics in 1997, and did some professional courses in fabric
and block printing, and a diploma in fashion design. Right after the diploma, she
participated in her first exhibition along with two partners. It turned out to be a
stunning success. The partners somehow pulled out, but she forged ahead with high
hopes and great ambitions. Her mother played a major role in terms of financial and
emotional support to start and sustain the business.

The most depressing part of the start-up was the attitude of labour. She was annoyed
as the labourers took a female boss for granted as she did not assert much in the
beginning, but gradually she learnt to deal with them. Now the business is running
smoothly, and she plans to expand her operations in the international market. She has
plans to open a stitching school for females, as she is a staunch believer in women
earning their own living. The ambitions stay in her head, nevertheless with great
apprehension about the future of her business after her marriage.

Zoya Aleem

Herbal Workshop, Lahore

Zoya was deeply inspired by her grandmother who was a doctor of traditional Greek
medicine. She developed an interest in herbs that her grandmother used to use for
medicines. Although she did her Masters degree in Journalism, her passion had
always been in working with herbs and their effective use for the benefit of
humankind. This led her to start ?The Herbal Workshop? 10 years ago. She was very
lucky to have a supporter like her husband. She comes from a traditional Pakistani
family, but her husband stood all the way with her to help her to establish and run this
business. ?He supports me from the core of his heart?, Zoya says. In answering the
question about the difficulties that she had to face while starting this business, she
regrets the limited role that government support offers to businesswomen.

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She complained that the procedure of getting loans from the financial institutions is
cumbersome ? it is rather impossible. She is of the opinion that it is a waste of one?s
time even to think of getting government financing for one?s business. ?Dealing with
the government is awful?, she maintains. It is difficult to get registered as a taxpayer,
and even difficult to deal with the government officials thereafter. Her business is
going well, and she wants to have her own production units in place very soon. She
has been promoting her products through different channels, and is doing a television
programme on beauty care as well.

CONCLUSION:

The integration of women into our labor force has meant less dependence on men,
because that these women can take over jobs, there is less dependence. the integration
of women has also widened the intellectual pool in social, political and economic
debate. If we were to work successfully with problem of women and economic
development, of preparing women to take their place in employment market, there are
number of pattern to which we must attend

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