The sentence,  “Siyasut main barabri mera haq” means, equality in politics is my right. In Pakistan, when it comes to women, politics and voting, the picture looks bleak. For instance according to this report by FAFEN (Fair and Free Election Network), a gender analysis was conducted, revealing startling results. Out of a total number of 4,671 candidates contesting for National Assembly seats in the 2013 elections in Pakistan, there are only 161 women contesting for the elections – or just 3.5% of the candidates are female! An alarmingly low number.

The twenty-first century described the rise of a new dawn for women in our part of the world. They were seen leaving their mark in various professional fields which were considered to be chiefly male dominated and they excelled. They also keenly participated in politics, another arena where men rule the roost, and proved their worth – a testimony of positive change in the mindsets of the people at large.

60% of women in Saudi Arabia have a university degree but only one in six of them work – a statistic that’s proving an obstacle to the development of the largest economy in the Arab world. The online job market Glowork was formed by young Saudi entrepreneurs to bring empowerment to women and increase diversity in the Saudi workforce.
Read more here: http://www.dw.com/program/made-in-germ…

Nusrat Khan

This year has so far been historic for Pakistan. For the first time, a government has completed  its five-year tenure since the formation of the state in 1947 and the candidates have been thoroughly scrutinized. The constituencies are also being monitored in a way like never before.

“Well, I personally think there’s no new animal that’s suddenly emerged called ‘today’s woman’. Women have always been far more on top in any situation. We’ve always known how to deal better with things generally including emotions and people and countries.”

Womentalk blogger Debarati Mukherjee speaks to Milan Vohra, the first author in India to write for Mills and Boon, the publisher known for its series of novels on romance.

A young woman looks for her sister after the accident

Recently, an eight-storied garment factory collapsed in Bangladesh, leading to the death of several hundreds of workers. Many more are trapped inside the building even as rescue operations continue to remove those who are trapped under the rubble.

Womentalk blogger Aziza Ahmed related her own shocking experience.