ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday signed the Daycare Centres Bill 2023, a landmark move in a country that has one of the lowest female labour force participation rates in South Asia owing to the disproportionate burden of childcare on women.
According to a UN Women Report on Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, for every one hour a man spends on unpaid care and domestic work, Pakistani women spend 11 hours doing the same. The disproportionate burden of domestic and childcare responsibility placed on women has been the biggest impediments to Pakistani women joining the workforce, the UN says.
Now, with a daycare law, that might change in the federal capital, as the institutions provide supervision and care of infants and young children during the daytime, particularly so that their parents can hold jobs.
“Alvi on Thursday signed the Daycare Centres Bill 2023, under which such setups for minor children will be established at the public and private departments in Islamabad,” state-run news agency APP reported.
“According to the Bill, the federal government will ensure the setting up of daycare centres at the departments having at least 70 employees.”
In case of violations, a fine up to Rs0.1 million would be imposed after the first warning.
“For further delay in the establishment of a daycare centre, a confinement of six months will be executed,” APP said.
