Sustainable Development Policy Institute

Women/Gender Issues

• Policy Level
• Research Level
• Advocacy Level
• SDPI's Contribution
  • Current Projects
  • Earlier Projects

The program has three major components:

At the policy level
The formulation and implementation of a gender sensitive perspective within SDPI as well as other partner institutions.

At the research level
Addressing the issue of rights and social justice for women. To understand the dynamics through which the position and status of women is systematically subordinated, our research focuses upon the major policy making actor in Pakistan, namely the state (vis-a-vis women). Some of the key areas of research are as follows:

• Governance and democratization: Women’s political representation at the local, provincial and national levels.
• Women and militarization
• Women and education
• Women, violence and the state
• Labor issues: Changing labor markets, labor policies and women workers.
• Livelihoods and displacement: Includes refugees, internally displaced persons and rural/urban migration.

At the advocacy level
Provide Advocacy on women's and human rights issues, especially as they stem out of the broad research agenda outlined above.

SDPI’s contribution to gender issues

SDPI has provided regular input on gender issues for government policy-making ranging from comments on policy initiatives and briefs to authoring the chapter Effects of armed and other types of conflict upon women. This was followed up with a project on women, security and conflict funded by the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Research and Writing Grant and the Ford Foundation. SDPI has served on various government committees including the Beijing Follow-up Unit (National Core Group). This work has also led to a concentration and highlighting of women's role in peace issues and led the to the setting up of a program on peace with a strong women focus.

Work has also been carried out on state policies and their impact on women workers' lives. In this regard, three projects are worth mentioning: SDPI research on subcontracted women workers in the global economy funded by the Asia Foundation, the effects of structural adjustment policies on women workers in Pakistan, and recently a project on home-based subcontracted hazardous work carried out by women and child workers. These projects have impelled the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women to approach SDPI to serve on its subcommittee on women and employment.

Aside from research and policy advice, SDPI's advocacy campaigns have had a strong gender bias in favour of women. SDPI has consistently taken stands on critical issues connected with women. Ranging from issues concerning political representation especially at the local government level, to violence against women, SDPI is known for taking bold positions and, in fact, some neo conservative elements criticise it for being feminist. Researchers have taken part in debates, campaigns and demonstrations for women's rights as well as planned campaigns in concert with other partners for women's rights. SDPI has organised a workshop on gender and law. Also, there is an effort to deliberately focus on women's issues as part of the regular SDPI seminar series.

Current Projects

• Women’s Land rights in Pakistan in collaboration with ActionAid, Pakistan and IDRC.
• State, Religion and Social Change for Women in the North West Frontier Province.
• Women's Access and Control over Micro Credit in RSP Areas.
• Country Gender Assessment Study.

Earlier Projects

• Implications of Insurgencies on Women in South Asia with the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS), Sri Lanka.
• Inconvenient Facts: Women's Political Representation under Military Rule in Pakistan for the Center for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS).

Please see list of ‘Ongoing projects and campaigns’ for recent projects in this area.Contact Dr Saba Gul Khattak for more details regarding SDPI’s work in this area.