Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 5 in Punjab: Measurement, Obstacles and Strategies to Overcome the Challenges.

Abstract

The research paper explores how to accomplish sustainable development goal 5 which pursues gender equality. Punjab Province has been taken as a case study.  Women’s access to resources and opportunities is quite limited compared to men worldwide. Likewise, in Pakistan, socio-cultural patterns are more in favor of men than women. Punjab is its largest province in terms of population and is considered more progressive regarding gender-related matters; a vast disparity still exists in all sectors. The primary objective of the researcher is to measure the degree of women empowerment in the province of Punjab, through the application of Gender Empowerment Measures (GEM), restricted by United Nations. The paper adopts a mixed-method research design, and the Case study method to investigate the selected problem. Secondary data was utilized to explore the facts and figures. The paper finds out that women lag far behind men in high-paid economic positions, and political designation. Also, their access to economic opportunities is quite low. Gradual social transformation, women’s effective inclusion in decision-making structures and processes, Education and training, formation of SHG, are prerequisites to accomplish the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment.