💪🏽 Empowering Women Through Trade To Unlock Pakistan’s Economic Future

Altamash Janjua
Apr 20
3 min read

Updated: Jul 3

Pakistan’s economy is fighting with one hand tied behind its back. Why? Because we are not empowering our women for the world of trade!

The numbers speak for themselves. For inclusive growth, trade policy has to work for women—not around them. This isn’t just a gender issue—it’s an economic strategy.

👩‍💼 The Current Reality

Women make up 49% of Pakistan’s population, yet they account for only 25% of the labor force. And when it comes to trade, the picture is even more stark:

Less than 1% of Pakistan’s formal exporters are women-owned businesses.
Women entrepreneurs are mostly micro-scale, informal, and domestically focused.
In comparison, countries like Vietnam and Indonesia have 10–15% women-led exporters.
Women comprise only 18% of Pakistan’s manufacturing workforce, compared to 43% in Bangladesh.

What’s holding them back? It’s not a lack of capability—it’s a lack of access, support, and policy alignment.

💸 The Economic Case

The World Bank estimates that closing the gender gap in labor force participation could raise Pakistan’s GDP by over 30%.

More inclusive trade isn’t just fair—it’s smart:

Women entrepreneurs are more likely to reinvest earnings in health and education.
Businesses with gender-diverse leadership tend to outperform on productivity.
Exporting women-led firms in global studies tend to employ 3x more women than non-exporters.

Simply put, if women trade, everyone benefits—families, communities, and the economy.

🚫 The Barriers Women Face in Trade

Pakistan’s women entrepreneurs face a unique set of systemic obstacles:

1. Finance

Only 7% of women in Pakistan have access to a bank account.
Less than 5% have access to formal credit.
Trade finance is rarely extended to small women-led firms, due to lack of collateral and formal business registration.

2. Digital Access

Pakistani women are 38% less likely to own a smartphone.
Internet penetration among rural women is under 15%.
Without digital access, entry into e-commerce and international markets is nearly impossible.

3. Legal and Institutional Restrictions

Women face difficulties registering a business, inheriting property, or traveling without permission.
Many legal systems still treat women’s economic participation as secondary or optional.

4. Knowledge and Networks

Most women exporters have little to no exposure to global markets, customs procedures, or pricing.
Trade associations and chambers of commerce are overwhelmingly male-led, making it hard for women to connect.

🔄 How Trade Can Empower Women

Here’s the opportunity: smart, inclusive trade policy can be a game-changer for women.

When border procedures become digital and transparent, women can engage from home. When financial products are tailored to women’s realities, they can invest and expand. When trade training includes women, they move from survival businesses to scalable exports.

Pakistan already has examples of women-led firms succeeding—despite the odds. Imagine if the system was actually designed to help them.

🎯 What Needs to Be Done – A Policy Blueprint

The World Bank’s roadmap lays out concrete actions that can open doors for women in trade:

1. Expand Trade Finance for Women

Launch government-backed guarantees for women-led SMEs.
Work with banks and fintech platforms to offer low-collateral loans and export credit lines.

2. Close the Digital Divide

Provide subsidized mobile internet and training for rural women.
Incentivize tech hubs and platforms to onboard women entrepreneurs and freelancers.

3. Reform Legal Barriers

Update business, property, and tax laws to remove gender bias.
Ensure women can travel, own property, and register companies independently.

4. Targeted Export Readiness Programs

Establish women-only trade training cohorts across cities.
Include practical modules: international marketing, export documentation, logistics, pricing strategies.

5. Create a Women Exporters Hub

Set up a national platform within trade ministries to promote, register, and support women-led exporters.
Connect women entrepreneurs with global buyers and chambers abroad.

📈 The Upside of Getting It Right

The economic potential is extraordinary.

Conservative estimates suggest women-led businesses in Pakistan could generate $12–15 billion in export value if given equal access.
The services and e-commerce sectors alone could create 1 million jobs for women by 2030.
Inclusive trade reform could drive an additional 3–5 percentage points of annual GDP growth.
Gender-diverse export sectors also tend to show greater resilience in times of economic crisis.

🌍 Final Thoughts: Empower Women, Empower Trade

Pakistan’s trade policy doesn’t need to “help women”—it needs to include them.The skills, ideas, and drive are already there. What’s missing is the access, the networks, and the systems.

If we build a trade ecosystem that works for women, we won’t just boost exports—we’ll future-proof the entire economy.

The choice is simple: Empower half the country—or compete with half the strength.