Across many global South countries, the female workforce is exploited economically but also socially. In Pakistan, women’s wages are 34% lower compared to male workers. In fact, women in the informal economy work for longer hours without compensation. Whether it is the right of forming labor unions, collective bargaining, accessing social security benefits, the right to receiving equal wages for equal work, women workers are deprived of their economic and legal rights. These inequalities are particularly stark for home-based workers as their work is deeply entrenched within the boundaries of the household. Most women workers work under difficult conditions as they don’t have access to affordable infrastructural services such as water supply, energy, and housing. Home-based workers’ health is also connected to the kind of work they undertake and conditions in which they work. Pakistan’s current economic crisis has taken a significant toll on the working classes, especially women workers.
Wage slavery is the most visible and oppressive form of capitalism and is experienced largely by women workers, who either work in factories, in homes, in agricultural fields, even in communities as lady health workers.
Wage slavery is an outcome of the production process in which wages are not paid in accordance to the outputs produced, services provided, or when wages are highly unequal and don’t represent the existing expenditure patterns of working classes. A living wage is the fundamental legal right of all workers. It is well documented that capitalism and profit maximisation efforts have led to a growing informal economy as work is shifted from factories to private spaces such as homes. There is, therefore, a need to emancipate women workers from exploitative systems based on the extraction of wealth and class-based inequalities. Gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and their equal participation in the productive economy, politics and policy making are the key pillars for achieving development goals in any society.
Women in Pakistan experience domestic violence, honour killings, forced marriages, conversion, sexual harassment, mental and physical abuse.
Sexual harassment at the work place, harassment by middle-men (or sub contractors) is a key concern for many home-based and factory workers. When working class women leave home for work or education, they are often criticized for what they wear and how they look. Although Pakistan, and Sindh in particular has passed pro-women laws, there is a need to harmonise national laws and other faith-based ideologies that are discriminatory and regressive for women and other marginalised groups including transgenders as well as minority communities. There has also been a rise in violence against children and even transgenders. Women demand safety in homes, streets, neighborhoods, factories, offices and educational institutions.
Rising fuel and food prices, climate change and floods have impacted the working classes through loss of livelihoods, reduced economic opportunities, and increased vulnerability to diseases. Women and children in particular are one of the hardest affected groups and face poor consequences as a result of Pakistan’s harsh economic measures. Slow onset climatic changes such as heat waves affect working hours and energy patterns for those working from home. As millions are affected by extreme poverty and hunger, more working class households are becoming vulnerable to diseases. By and large, our work in the communities has shown that it is working class women who bear the burden of unemployed household members. Women also face the double burden of work managing care and domestic responsibilities as well as their productive work. Given the rise in prices of staple food items, fuel and gas, low income groups can hardly afford a good quality life in the country.
Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) is a registered trade union that works on advancing economic, civic and political rights of working women specially home-based women workers across Pakistan. Home-based workers often work in extremely poor conditions with repetitive and hazardous work (such as bangle making). Their work hours are usually long, and can lead up to 16 hours with meagre wage rates. At the bottom of the production chain, the workers lack access to and knowledge of the market. Through advocacy work spanning the last two decades, HBWWF has focused on formal recognition of home-based work, setting of legal minimum wages and extension of social security legislations to benefit home-based workers. The federation’s efforts have also focused on making the workers realise their emancipatory potential through organising and collective bargaining.
This year along with women workers from across Pakistan, HBWWF will be rallying against the forces of capitalism, class hierarchy, economic oppression and wage slavery. Despite the oppression women workers face, over the past few decades, they have stood up to fight for their rights and resisted against regressive policies and agendas. Women workers have not only been fighting for their own freedom but also for economic and political freedom of the oppressed classes. We strongly believe that the women’s movement has the potential to challenge every anti-women law and customary practices. Although working class women have faced backlash from many actors, they have managed to achieve some key milestones in their struggle. Women from across Pakistan will be celebrating International Women’s Day to demand their rights but also celebrate their work around activism of social and economic justice. This continuous struggle of women workers is playing a role in the shaping of a strong resistance movement in the whole world.
Come join us at the Mehnatkash Aurat Rally 2023, where women workers will demand for “Emancipation from wage slavery and freedom from economic, social and political exploitation.” Like previous years, women workers and organizers pledge to continue their struggle against gender discrimination based on race, religion, caste and creed.
Location: The rally will march from Fuwara Chowk to the Arts Council.
Time: 03:00 PM
Who will attend: Besides thousands of women workers, Haris and women home-based workers, a large number of female students, transgenders and other workers would attend the rally. Please join us and show solidarity towards the everyday struggle of the working classes.