1. What is the Women’s Expo?

The Women Entrepreneurs Expo is a showcase and a marketplace for women entrepreneurs: artisans, importers, designers and distributors of products such as jewelry, clothing, fine art, pottery, wood/metal/leather/glassware, children’s items, culturally diverse crafts, fiber art, specialty food items, gift baskets, household accessories, paper products and more.

2. What is the purpose of the Expo?

The exhibition would serve as a platform where hundreds and thousands of women from all age groups and section of the society, classified as women entrepreneurs, house wives, students and working women would meet, raise and discuss their issues, celebrate their achievement & individuality, make and strengthen networks and highlight their contribution in national development.

3. Where and When?

The Women Entrepreneurs Expo will be held at Karachi Expo Center from October 2016.

4. What is the Goal of the Expo?

“Women’s empowerment through entrepreneurship & participation”   

5. What are the Objectives of the Expo?

• To build a soft image of Pakistan through massive women participation
• To provide business development opportunities to women entrepreneurs, especially from the rural parts of Sindh province
• To offer participation in a huge business relations
• To guide entrepreneurs towards mainstream market
• To discuss the issues of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan
• To bring all stake holders at one platform
• To provide recreation activities to hundreds and thousands of people from Karachi and interior parts of Sindh

6. Why focus on women entrepreneurship?

• Women are most marginalized and neglected section of women
• Women don’t have much chances to explore their business potential
• Various research shows that women make or influence the over 70% of all purchasing decisions in Pakistan
• Business growth is the #1 concern of all women entrepreneurs
• Women want more flexibility and time with their family
• Women want to realize their dreams, live their passionate lives and make a difference

7. What are the problems of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan?

Pakistan economy has not sustained the growth rates required to reduce the country’s dire poverty. Several factors contributing to this disappointed economic performance are including, too much spending on defense, military rule, and political instability, lack of accountability, weak governance and institutionalized corruption. However, another factor that has received due attention is gender disparity in all sectors. The critical link between the status of women in society, particularly literacy level, and a nation’s economic growth is now well understood. The low socioeconomic status of women in Pakistan is beginning to be recognized as a potentially significant drag on the country’s growth.

Gender roles in today’s Pakistan reflect the weight of culture and traditions of the society. The feudal structure and misinterpretation of the religion reinforces conservative ideas regarding the role that women should play in society. This approach slows down policies designed to bring women more into the public sphere, therefore, women participation become less evident.

Women’s situation vis-a-vis men is one of systemic subordination, determined by the forces of patriarchy across and regions. An artificial divide between production and reproduction, created by the ideology of sexual division of labor, has particularly placed women in reproductive roles as mothers and wives in the private arena of home and men in a productive role as breadwinners in the public arena.

Furthermore, women’s status and work is also considered lower to males and these results in women being concentrated in the secondary sector of the labor market. Their work is low paid, therefore, low status and lacks potential upward mobility. Young women are also finding it difficult to find jobs. The consequence is that they find low returns on their education investment. This discourages families from educating their girls. Additionally the secondary status of women makes them vulnerable to domestic violence in the families.

Since women are looked as the “food-makers” rather than the “food-earner” in Pakistan, this perception preventing entrepreneurial growth because women are not given the opportunity to start a venture and nurture it into a successful business. It is a fact that institution of purdah and segregation of sexes, which confine women and their activities to the private domains, act effective cultural device in creating hindrance to women productive roles.

Additionally, information gaps and poor networking are prominent constraints to the growth of women entrepreneurial activities. Women entrepreneurs appear to be either unaware of modern marketing concepts that could fetch better returns on the same products or remain restrained to the local markets due to a number of problems associated with their mobility. By one reason or the other they remain remote from lucrative domestic and international markets, not only geographically but also in terms of their knowledge and awareness of what and where these markets are and their actual ability to success and competitively sell in those markets. Another characteristic feature of women-owned business in Pakistan is their limited networking with related business associations, networking groups or other related organizations.

8. What will be the profile of exhibitors of Women Entrepreneurs’ Expo?

• Women entrepreneurs from all over Sindh province
• Women members of Women Chamber of Commerce
• Members of Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI)
• Business Groups
• Food Outlets
• Fashion Designers
• Beauty Parlors
• Health, beauty & fitness clinics
• Kids merchandisers

9. Program Schedule of Women Entrepreneurs Expo?

10. What will be the Conference on the problems, role and impact of Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan?

The Prime Objective of the conference to discuss the issues of women entrepreneurs with a view to create awareness among masses through print and electronic media.

11. The conference will discuss the following topics:

• Rights of women as outlined in CEDAW
• Violence against women in Pakistan
• Role and impact of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan
• Obstacles and opportunities for women entrepreneurs in Pakistan
• What should be done to improve the situation

12. People from following sections of the society will take part in the conference

• Parliamentarians
• Women Entrepreneurs
• CBOs / NGOs / INGOs
• Human and women right activists
• Government Officials
• Business and corporate sector representatives
• Commercial & investment banks
• Academia
• Students
• Media

13. What will be the Talk Show on the sharing of success stories of women entrepreneurs?

The main aim of the Talk Show is to share the successful experiences of women entrepreneurs and to encourage women to make network. The Talk Show will be conducted by one of the leading women entrepreneurs in Pakistan.

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14. What will be the Gala Night?

A gala night will be organized on the last day of the Expo to celebrate the success of women entrepreneurs. This will also the closing ceremony of the Expo. During the gala night know folksingers will show their performance