Events
Future of Work for Women in Pakistan
21st March | 4 pm | Live on Tabadlab
Join the panel talk to understand the need for an inclusive future of work and explore the strategies that enable women to be a part of the workforce in an emerging digital world.
Designing Technologies for Social and Economic Empowerment
21st March | 5 pm | VC Faculty Lounge, LUMS
Dr. Hadia Majid and Dr. Maryam Mustafa presented GenTech's work in a talk organized by Saida Waheed Gender Initiative at LUMS. The speakers presented insights from their ongoing and completed projects which investigate the intersection of women's access to and use of digital technologies and their economic empowerment. Over a span of three years, they have interviewed about 200 low-literate, low-income women workers engaged in a variety of occupations across Pakistan. They presented evidence on the existing state of women’s participation and access to digital spaces, focusing on the gendered design of technologies. In particular, they highlighted how this access varies depending on the nature and place of work women engage in.
Moderator: Dr. Hadia Majid (Chair of Economics Department, LUMS)
Panelists: Mr. Mudassar Aqil (CEO, Telenor Microfinance Bank/Easypaisa), Ms. Zainab Saeed (Chief Strategy Officer, Kashf Foundation), Mr. Badar Khushnood (Co-Founder fishry.com), Dr. Maryam Mustafa (Assistant Professor, Computer Science, LUMS)
Tech for Change
GenTech presented a panel discussion titled "Tech for Change" as part of the EconFest 2023, organized by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE). This talk featured leaders from financial institutions and researchers to explore the existing realities of access to digital technology, financial inclusion, and mobile wallets for women in Pakistan. This discussion included Kashf's contribution to financial inclusion, Telenor Microfinance Bank's initiatives to inculcate a gendered lens to their services and overarching themes relevant to barriers in accessing and using technology for social and economic empowerment. Our panelists also raised the need for contextual technology design and improvements in the regulations and procedures related to financial sector to improve financial inclusion of women in the context of Pakistan.
Talk on Designing Technologies for Social and Economic Empowerment
GenTech participated in the HSS Annual International Conference organized by MGSHSS, LUMS. Directors of the research cluster, talked about their work on technology design for social and economic empowerment. The discussion focused mainly on the past projects and the ongoing research related to mobile wallets.
International Conference on Gender Studies in Africa
Co-director GenTech, Dr. Hadia Majid shared cluster's research on "Designing for Support Against Workplace Harassment for Low-Income Women in Pakistan" in the "International Conference on Gender Studies in Africa." The research insights related to experiences of harassment and marginalization, access to safe spaces, and current access to technologies with a specific focus on mobile phone was discussed as part of the larger discussion on gender violence in the academy and beyond.
The Future of Women's Work
Co-director, GenTech, Dr. Maryam Mustafa presented cluster's published research on “Transformative digital spaces? Investigating women’s digital mobilities in Pakistan” in the webinar series arranged by ILO & GIZ . This paper explores the intersection between mobility and access to digital technologies, among domestic, factory, and home-based workers. The cluster's findings about the drivers of digital gender gap were shared and the panel also discussed ways in which low-income women navigate the barriers they face because of the digital divide.
OXFAM's Knowledge Sharing Event at Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and Quetta
OXFAM conducted a knowledge-sharing event where GenTech's team member, Ms. Maria Nazar, presented research insights of two major projects in three in-person and online OXFAM Knowledge Sharing events. The events discussed GenTech's key takeaways from the projects "Domestic and Home Based workers Vulnerability in COVID-19" and "Exploring Changing Forms of Gender Issues in Urban Context of Pakistan."
Workshop on "Emerging Issues of Women in Urban Context of Pakistan"
“Emerging Gender Issues in Urban Context of Pakistan” was a key informants’ focus group discussion on digital literacy, financial inclusion, and technological access to Urban women in Pakistan. It was held on August 12, 2022, at LUMS. The workshop was attended by organizations including Karandaaz, HomeNet, Circle, Dbank, OXFAM, and Khudkaar. The diverse interventions of these organizations were discussed with a focus on challenges faced by the beneficiaries and the steps taken to improve earning opportunities for women micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses especially through technology. Participants also explored women’s preference to work from home, technology use, and the role of socio-cultural norms in affecting women's work particularly outside the home. The main policy level insights suggested facilitating women to get internet access on cheaper rates, encourage SIM ownership and usage of digital wallets, and easy access to loans especially for low-income women.
Workshop with Women's Rights Organizations
A workshop titled “Domestic and Home-Based Women Worker Vulnerabilities during Covid-19 and the Role of Digital Technology” was held on February 18, 2022, at LUMS. This event was conducted and hosted by the Gender and Tech Cluster. The purpose of this workshop was to understand how low-income and low-literate women navigate the patriarchal landscape at home and the workplace. With a major focus on Domestic and Home Based Workers, this discussion focused on themes including harassment and marginalization, women's access to safe spaces, and access to technology with a focus on mobile usage. The main insights of the workshop revolved around advocacy for worker rights to fight against harassment and abuse, formation of collective bargaining groups and women chambers to facilitate home based businesses and avoid worker exploitation. The workshop participants included representatives from organizations including Akhuwat, Kashf Foundation, Circle, Mumkin Alliance, HomeNet, FACES, WISE, and Women’s Action Forum.