A Case Study of Pakistan Determinants of Female Labour Force in South Asia significant reason that could make estimates inconsistent is the validity of the data itself which is explained below. As part of this research, such tests are not computed as its objective was not to provide rigorous econometric study but only to highlight through a quantitative analysis of the problem that prevails and needs due attention of the concerned authorities in Pakistan. 6.2.1. Problems of Survey Data Reliability in Pakistan There are many studies conducted on how the labour statistics gathered through field surveys are gender-biased especially in third-world countries (Nazir, 2017). True labour statistics are significant for a clear reflection of the actual labour dynamics in a society. Such data has an impact in steering the social and economic development of a country in the right direction. The study conducted by Nazir(2017) shows how labour force surveys in Pakistan underreport women’s work. This invisibility stems from the gender roles and societal norms where women are perceived as housewives hence keeping them“out of the labour force”. The two main actors in conducting field surveys are the enumerator and the respondent. The fact that PBS has never appointed women enumerators in conducting labour force surveys and the respondent-the head of the household is mostly a male member speaks volumes of the male bias in the survey results(Nazir, 2017). Agarwal(1985) highlights how in patriarchal societies, the enumerator would identify even a 12-year-old boy as the head of the household or he himself would do so, in case of the absence of a male adult. Besides the reason of perception about women, the seclusion(or purdah) which forbids women to interact with unknown males makes it difficult for interviewers to have women respondents. Thus, as most interviewers are officially male, cause women and their work to be invisible. An example of underreporting of women’s work is the absence of HBWs as a separate category in the Labour Force Surveys. Several researchers in Pakistan explored these using questions from LFS of Pakistan. Their results concluded a handful of population i-e 1.69 million in 2008-09 with women comprising a 70% share(Akhtar, 2011, p. 43). However, for the same year, HBW figure was reported to be around 12 million according to research conducted by Roots for Equity(Roots for Equity, 2011, p. 103). Such inaccuracies in data highlight the need for systematic methods of data collection to implement needed interventions. 47