Poverty Alleviation

KARACHI

When you see the unemployment rate of 4.5% in Pakistan, it does not seem very alarming. What is alarming is still the high rate of poverty at 21.5%, though it has decreased as per the CBN approach.Poverty declined from 50.4% in 2005-06 to 24.3% in 2015-16 (GoP, 2018). But there is a long way to go, especially in terms of rural poverty, which is much higher than urban poverty.Rural poverty has been measured at 27.6% (2018-19) in contrast to the urban poverty rate of 10.7% in the same year (Iqbal, 2020).Poverty levels differ at provincial levels too as it is more pronounced in Balochistan as compared to other provinces.Another thing, although important but less documented, is the gender dimension of poverty. Discriminatory gender practices prevalent in society shape men’s and women’s choices and life opportunities differently.The incidence of poverty among women in contrast to men is higher. It is characterised by low endowment of land and productive assets, unemployment, discrimination in the labour market, and limited access to economic options and political processes.