Copyright dailytimes
Pakistan’s recent legal victory should have thrilled every working mother. However, it feels like one step forward, two steps back. The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment (FOSPAH) ruled that firing a woman on approved maternity leave was clear gender discrimination in a case involving a private IT company. The firm was fined Rs1 million and ordered to pay Rs800,000 in damages. In her verdict, the Ombudsperson invoked the Constitution’s guarantees of equality, dignity, and “protection of motherhood,” reinstating the employee. It was a rare moment of justice, and a reminder that safe motherhood is a right, not a favour. Pakistan’s labour laws, and even Article 37 of the Constitution, already promise maternity benefits. Various statutes entitle women to about twelve weeks of fully paid leave. The problem is not the law but its reach. Barely one in five Pakistani women works in the formal sector, and the country still ranks near the bottom of global gender-gap indices. For many, pregnancy still means choosing between a career and a child. The tragedy runs deeper: roughly one Pakistani woman dies every hour from preventable pregnancy complications, a grim measure of how fragile “protection” remains. Even for those who survive childbirth, job security is uncertain. The Maternity and Paternity Leave Act 2023 was meant to change that. It grants federal employees up to 180 days of paid leave for a first child, 120 for a second, and 90 for a third, plus thirty days of paid paternity leave on three occasions. Violators now face fines or imprisonment. Championed by Senator Quratulain Marri, the bill gave Pakistan one of the region’s most progressive parental-leave frameworks. Yet legal progress without workplace reform is hollow. Social media is filled with stories of men mocked for sharing childcare, and until organisational culture changes, women will keep paying the price. There is also a darker risk. When maternity protections expand without strong anti-discrimination enforcement, employers often retaliate quietly. Some avoid hiring women of childbearing age or pressure them to forgo their leave. In many offices, women “volunteer” to skip entitlements to stay employable. Without credible monitoring, even a 180-day provision can become a trap, helping privileged professionals while excluding most others. FOSPAH’s decision shows that at least one watchdog is willing to act. Pakistan now needs many more such interventions for the law to have meaning. The larger question is whether the state and employers will invest in what they claim to value. Childcare facilities remain rare, even in public institutions. Most private offices offer no parental-support policies beyond the legal minimum. Pakistan has ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), but implementation remains patchy. Real equality will come when workplaces and, by extension, society will show a willingness to treat motherhood as a shared social responsibility. Until then, even the best laws will remain promises on paper.
