Markets, Women, and Patriarchy: A Case Study of Exploitation in Pakistan’s Banking Sector

Abstract

Women’s participation in Pakistan’s banking sector is often portrayed as a sign of modernization and progress. But when listening closely to the voices of women inside these institutions, a more complicated story emerges. This article draws on the case of a 24-year-old banker who spoke candidly about her first months in the profession. Her reflections, originally shared in Urdu through a semi-structured questionnaire, reveal the everyday realities of being hired for visibility rather than skill, of facing routine harassment from clients and colleagues, and of having little faith in institutional systems that claim to offer protection. Her words echo wider debates in feminist theory. The tendency to value women for appearance and “marketability” rather than merit is consistent with what Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) call objectification. At the same time, her account shows how patriarchal authority and neoliberal market logics overlap, leaving women both celebrated as symbols of modern professionalism and exploited as tools of profit. She put it simply: “Merit alone cannot help women succeed. Institutions use both our skills and our appearance for their own benefit.” This case study highlights the contradictions of women’s labor in Pakistan’s banking sector. Employment is framed as empowerment, yet the structures around it reproduce inequality. By situating lived experience alongside Objectification Theory, Walby’s (1990) account of patriarchy, and feminist political economy, the paper shows how market expansion and patriarchal norms work together to commodify women’s work while undermining their dignity.

Keywords: Women’s Labor; Banking Sector; Objectification; Workplace Harassment; Patriarchy; Feminist Political Economy; Pakistan