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Socio-cultural limitations in Pakistan prevent the integration of female workforce into the economic mainstream. Family institution has its own inbuilt normative pattern, which ascribes the duties of household to the women, attaching a set of fixed demands. The departure from this boundary is viewed as a social stigma as the male members are rebuked for being unable to financially sustain the family. Low participation of women in the economic activity are culturally and socially determined traits; and that the State in the political culture of traditional male-dominant society of Pakistan has done very little to meaningfully empower women (Rasul Bakhsh Rais. 2002). The low social status of women because of the customs of largely feudal and tribal culture pose the biggest barrier in the way of women's involvement in social affairs.

The social and cultural scenario in Pakistan, with slight variations according to geographical region and social class, perpetuates a traditional patriarchal structure with compartmentalized gender roles. The segregation of the sexes starts early at the time of birth and becomes a way of life with the passage of time. The stereotyped functions of reproduction and production assigned to women and men determine the overall ambiance of Pakistani society and also establish the status of both sexes. The reproductive role limits women to the home, where they bear children and raise the family, playing only an auxiliary part in production activity. The tradition of male honor associated with the chastity of their female relations restricts women’s mobility, limits social interaction and imposes a check on their economic activity. The social, cultural and traditional taboos on women allow men to carve legitimacy for themselves in public affairs, as well as in the sphere of production and related economic activity (Pakistan Reproductive Health and Family Planning Survey: 2000-01). Low female participation is related to increase in expected earnings, wages and level of education. An interesting observation was made by some researchers that the presence of a male figure in the household reduces the likelihood of female participation in the labor force, whereas the presence of other females in the house increases the probability that a woman would work (Rashid 1989).

The social conditions of women in Pakistan vary according to the geographical location and class to which they belong. Women who belong to urban areas and the upper strata of society are in a better condition. They have greater opportunities for higher education and seeking professional work. Most Pakistani women remain structurally disadvantaged as a result of legal, social and cultural discrimination (Ejaz 2007).

Religious interpritions

There is a complex overlap of religious and social causes restricting women participation in economic activity. The clergy in Pakistan has a self-assumed role of guardians of public morale. They propagate imposition of restriction on the mobility of women without being accompanied with a male member of the family (Zareen 2002). Such parochial thinking is an important limitation on the efforts of the State and society to liberate the females from economic backwardness. In Islam, there is no bar on females to participate in social or economic life and Islamic history is replete with the examples of women having complete freedom of act