Preface While men and women each make up about half of all of our societies, in many countries, and especially in South Asia, female participation in the work-force is considerably lower. The results are that many women have quite restricted opportunities in social, economic and political participation; restricted opportunities of self-fulfillment; and limited opportunities to contribute to the development of their societies. All of this can, in turn, reenforce a stereotype that women are less valuable members of society than men. Many reasons have been discussed why female participation in the work­force in South Asia is shockingly low. The paper at hand, written by Bisma Iftekhar, is a serious attempt to analyze the reasons for the restricted access of women in the labor market. While she keeps regional conditions in South Asia in the background, the focus of the study is on Pakistan, where only 22.6 percent of the workforce is female, and the rate has even been declining over the last few years. The study analyzes income levels, cultural factors, legal barriers and education as potential key factors influencing the likelihood and chances of women to participate in the work-force, and finally presents a set of policy recommendations. Reaching gender equality is a matter of rising awareness in both women and men. But it also will only be possible if the gaps in economic independence between men and women will be bridged. As long as men are supposed to feed the family and women are not allowed or cannot contribute to the economic wellbeing of it, gender equality will be very difficult to achieve. This study is a major contribution to understand the key reasons for the low female participation in the Pakistani work-force. We hope the analysis and the recommendations will help to prepare the necessary reforms, which would strengthen Pakistani women, and the Pakistani economy. Dr. Jochen Hippler Country Director Friedrich Ebert Stiftung(FES), Pakistan Islamabad, December 2021 Abdullah Dayo Programme Coordinator Friedrich Ebert Stiftung(FES), Pakistan