Women Researchers in Pakistani Think Tanks

What is it about?

Pakistan remained historically labelled as a patriarchal society though the status of women remained under discussion in the past 77 years. An underdeveloped country which remained under the tribunal of security and terrorism, politico-economic instability, poverty, lack of infrastructure and energy crisis, water and environmental issues, educational and health care crisis, and regional tensions. Moreover, the nation faced moral degradation through the insensitivities adapted through the westernised media and capitalistic systems. In Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Islam remained only as a title, the teachings of Islam lingered and the residues of strong patriarchy from the joint Hindustan- where various nations were living together, became dominant. To explore the roots of patriarchy in Pakistani society one must understand challenges the nation has been facing. Over decades this has impacted the status of women in general and the working class specifically. The role of working women evolved considerably over the years by increased formal participation for economic activity, challenges of employment and work-life balance, legal protection, entrepreneurial needs and opportunities, and so-called empowerment initiatives. As like in many other countries, in Pakistan, women participation in the specialised jobs across sectors has increased. These specialised fields include medicine and health care, engineering and technology, law and legal services, Science and research, finance and banking, media and journalism, education and academia, and arts and culture. Historically women have been dominating in the education sector and over past decades have been excelling in university-based research. Over last decade with the growth of the think tank sector in Pakistan, women participation for the social sciences research has also improved. This chapter intends to present the contribution and challenges of women researchers within the Islamabad based social sciences think tanks- which are predominantly male institutions. These women researchers are not only marking the history towards bringing social change and national development but also enhancing their research careers leaving footprint for others to follow.

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Why is it important?

Women researchers are playing crucial role in Pakistani think tanks, contributing to the intellectual discourse, and shaping policy. Policy development, academic influence, media presence, and advocacy and mentorship are the main forms contributions by these women researchers in Pakistani think tanks and beyond. They often face challenges of limited resources, security risk (especially if they are working on sensitive topics like terrorism), as well as Gender bias mainly to reach to higher positions within think tanks and academic institutions. These women researchers from Pakistan surely can gain global recognition through international forums, can enhance their networking and collaboration to share their knowledge and extend their support to each other, and their increased participation in policy research is gaining traction. Though research work and more specifically policy research is a niche employment area and competition in the sector remained narrow as researchers’ population is limited within the country and there are various other under researched areas looking for researchers and think tank’s attention. At top of the hierarchy or even among the board members women are rarely found. Pakistani think tanks provide conducive environment for policy research work and support women researchers by providing a learning platform to bring in their knowledge contribution. However, the think tank members are the knowledge elites and could be seen as intellectual cream of the nation, so their positivity could not be generalised for the working class of nation and the small, non-statistical sample of a unique research class may not represent overall working women of Pakistan who face various struggles in their working life. Also, in today’s fast-paced environment where political, economic, and technical changes impact the market dynamics at high rate, the data which was collected in past may not represent today. Pakistan’s sustainability and development challenges require informed decision making which may be possible with the support of these think tank organisations whose work relay on its researchers and workforce. It is not ignorable that the Pakistani think tanks only have presence in two provinces Punjab and Sindh and even that is not throughout the province but remains within the capital cities of Islamabad and Karachi and some in Lahore, which are relatively advanced cities. Pakistan's society is a result of historical effects, ethnic diversity, and evolving political landscapes, that influences its characteristics on the global stage.