Gender norms and agency in the Pakistan agriculture sector: policy brief

Abstract

Investment and robust studies are needed to strengthen the body of evidence and facilitate gender mainstreaming in agricultural development; Women’s contributions to the agriculture sector (e.g. home based livestock rearing and vegetable farming) are devalued by extension workers and often not considered ‘agriculture’; Rural women are shut out of decisions, consultations, and research at the local and national levels; Household resources and information are not equally shared; Women must seek men’s permission to be economically productive and mobile, which reduces their opportunity to capitalize on market dynamics; Existing gender inequities put women in a disadvantaged position in the agriculture sector and hampers their economic contribution to the household and nation