GENDER-SENSITIVE PUBLIC POLICY INITIATIVES: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE PUNJAB WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PACKAGE (PWEP) 2012–2016

One of the several contradictions that rule women’s lives in Pakistan since its inception in 1947 is endorsing of their empowerment and the restoration of their misappropriated rights by successive governments, political parties and non-government organisations. The sad state of women’s lives in present times, however, indicates a consistent lack of effort and willpower in taking effective measures in this direction. One of the recent steps in this direction is the Punjab Women Empowerment Package launched by the province’s government in 2012, 2014 and 2016 to safeguard women’s rights and economic empowerment. This paper aims at exploring the gender sensitivity of the public policy towards women with a special focus on the PWEP by following the analytical framework used by the Centre for International Development Issues, University of Nijmegen (CIDIN). The parameters of the approach cover the structural and action-oriented aspects based on three dimensions: (i) access to resources, information, power and networks; (ii) rights, rules and responsibilities; and (iii) identity, culture and sense of belonging. The outcomes of this study will help foresee the effects of these packages in the long run for the women of Punjab.