A Journey of Home-Based Woman Worker in Pakistan

Famous for its date farms and handicrafts, only part of Khairpur’s story is told: the district runs on the back of Pakistan’s vast but still mostly invisible home-based workers (HBWs) like Fozia and the women in her village. Official labour-force data counts 4.4 million HBWs in Pakistan, while unofficial sources estimate 20 million HBWs, 12 million of whom are women (Khattak, 2023). Moreover, available data suggest that HBW represented a whopping 3.8% of GDP in 2013-14 (Khattak, 2023), and in light of a significant increase in the number of HBWs (Akhtar, 2020), the economic impact is arguably higher today. Most HBWs do not have any form of social protection and earn well below minimum wage. A 2025 World Bank report suggests that most HBWs in Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earn below PKR 10,000 (35$) per month (World Bank, 2025), which is well below the province’s minimum wage of PKR 37,000/$130 (BRecorder, 2025), and PKR 36,000/$127 (Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [GoKP], 2024), respectively.

Despite recent policy developments, with all provinces having enacted laws to protect home-based workers, the group still tends to be neglected (Government of Balochistan, 2023; GoKP, 2021; Government of Punjab, 2023; Government of Sindh, 2018). This is due to weak enforcement, but also because many workers are unaware of their rights or how to exercise them. Of course, accessibility to crucial information and infrastructure is even lower in remote areas like Fozia’s village.

To counteract these issues, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Pakistan Office has been working on improving rights awareness and informing about unions through awareness sessions as well as capacity development workshops for workers and HBWW, cooperating with local government institutions and local partners such as Bhittai Social Watch and Advocacy (BSWA). In this context, FES primarily focuses on Sindh, which was the first province to adopt a Home-Based Workers Act in 2018.

Like many women in her community, Fozia began her journey with little knowledge about trade unions. The idea of women in her village organising together was unheard of. After attending an FES event, for the first time, she saw the potential of unions not just as a concept but as a tool for dignity, protection, and empowerment.

“Before we had a union, I felt completely powerless,” Fozia recalls. “There was no platform to speak, no one to listen, and no way to bring our struggles to light.”

The registration of the HBWW union was a turning point, not just in her life, but in the lives of many women around her. With FES support, the union provided a legal and organisational structure that gave women recognition under Pakistani labour laws. It also offered something more profound: confidence.

“That moment gave me courage. I began to believe our voices mattered and that we could fight for our rights together.”

The registration process was tedious and required Fozia to travel to Karachi twice, some 500 kilometres away from home, because the necessary registration desks had not yet been established in her region. Additionally, social pressure from angry husbands, village families, and other community members was attempting to push the HBWWS away from unionising and increasing economic freedom. Fozia explains that, until the union was finally established, the women HBWs in the villages “didn’t have the confidence to speak up. Not at homes, and definitely not in public”. Despite all of these obstacles, Fozia never got intimidated and continued working on the union, motivating more and more women HBWs to join.

Since then, the union has helped dozens of women gain access to economic opportunities, vocational training, and legal awareness. Women once confined to the home are now actively participating in decision-making within their families and communities. They speak out against early and forced marriages, promote education for girls, and push for better healthcare.

“We are no longer invisible. We are seen, heard, and respected. Not just by society, but also within our own homes,” says Fozia.

One of the most tangible changes has been the women’s ability to speak up and negotiate, which are improvements and skills they could never have acquired before. Through the union, they now engage with buyers and stakeholders, participate in collective bargaining, and stand up for fair treatment and wages.

“We’ve moved from silence to strength,” Fozia affirms. “Now we know our rights, and we are not afraid to claim them.”

The impact goes beyond the women themselves. Fozia’s children and grandchildren have witnessed her transformation. “They see me negotiating with buyers, speaking at public forums, and organising other women. That’s the kind of example I want to set for the next generation,” she says proudly. Leading by example, she believes that her “journey has sparked a cultural shift at home, where the younger generation now values equality, education, and dignity [in] labour”.

As a next step, the union plans to upgrade the Women Development Centre in Sadar-ji-Bhatyoon, Tehsil Kingri, District Khairpur, with the support of BSWA. This centre will offer modern facilities for training, skills development, and legal literacy. Upcoming initiatives include short courses, vocational training, and seminars on labour rights designed to reach more rural women who are still unaware of their rights and entitlements, such as registration cards, social security benefits, and legal protections.

As many craftswomen groups already working in surrounding areas remain disconnected from support networks and formal recognition, the union plans to reach out, organise, and empower them, replicating the success of their own village and promoting the “cultural shift” as well as HBWWs rights to the whole province and beyond.

This FES Pakistan pilot project will expand to other tehsils of Khairpur district, with the goal of scaling it across the province and eventually, the country. The union also envisions forming a federation of nine home-based women worker unions, a dream that Fozia believes is well within reach.

“With the continued support of FES Pakistan, we believe we can build a future where every home-based woman worker is seen, supported, and celebrated.”