Gender and the Economy: LUMS Conference Examines Structural Barriers to Women's Economic Participation
The Chaudhry Nazar Muhammad Department of Economics at LUMS hosted a two-day conference, Gender and the Economy, on May 11-12, 2026, bringing together leading academics, researchers, policymakers, and development practitioners from Pakistan and beyond.
The conference opened with thematic paper sessions and panel discussions on "Health and Gender" and "Gender and Data," featuring policymakers and practitioners including Fyezah Jehan (Aga Khan University), Ume Laila Azhar (National Commission on the Status of Women), Roshaneh Zafar (Kashf Foundation), Bilal Gilani (Gallup), and Adnan Khan and Aisha Irum (Research and Development Solutions), alongside academics including Karin Astrid Siegmann (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Farhan Majid (University of Alabama).
Day two included a panel discussion, "Doing Gender Work," featuring Vice Chancellor Dr. Ali Cheema, Dr. Monazza Aslam, Kate Vyborny (World Bank), Musa Aamir (Rizq), and Dr. Hamna Ahmed (Lahore School of Economics). Dr. Cheema presented findings from a field study across 224 villages in Southern Punjab showing that mobility, not lack of interest or incentives, is the primary constraint on women's participation in skills training. Panellists across both days examined why rising female educational levels have not translated into proportional labour market participation, and what it would take to change that.
Across plenary talks, paper sessions, a lightning round, and a student poster showcase, participants engaged with questions spanning labour markets, migration, education, health, climate vulnerability, and women's economic empowerment. The conference affirmed that Pakistan's gender challenge now lies less in awareness than in implementation, and in placing mobility, safety, and social norms at the centre of economic policy.
