Despite strong evidence of the different ways in which men and women experience poverty and vulnerability, there has been little attention to the role of gender in implementation and effectiveness of social protection programs.

One aspect of this is women working in the informal sector in Pakistan, where the International Growth Centre is helping boost the country’s capacity to generate policy-oriented research on reform issues critical to sustained economic growth.

Although women working from their homes make a significant contribution to the national economy, including export earnings, their work is undervalued and they are denied any form of legal protection, including a minimum wage guarantee or social security benefits.

Most informal workers in Pakistan are not recognized as workers in official policies, so they are denied access to labour protection and social welfare.