Islamabad, Feb 29 (IANS): Pakistan can boost its gross domestic product (GDP) by 33 per cent by ensuring the financial inclusion of women and girls, according to speakers at a youth dialogue here.

The dialogue on "Generation equality: Realising women's rights for an equal future" was organised by UN Women Pakistan and the National University of Sciences and Technology (Nust) here on Friday, reports Dawn news.

Speaking at the event, Nust Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Pro-Rector Nassar Ikram, while highlighting the varsity's initiatives to urge more women to enter technical fields, said: "Education is the most important means to empower women and girls and will enable them to take forward the gender equality agenda."

According to UNDP Pakistan, women comprise almost half of the country's population, yet only 22.7 per cent were part of the labour force.

Even those who are part of the labour force are largely in the informal sector, receiving low pay and with few legal protections.

UN Women Asia Regional Director Mohammad Naciri said: "It is unfortunate that we have been fighting for women's rights for so long... Patriarchy is essentially a social norm. We need to disassociate patriarchy from men.

"It is important to change the mindset, speak with new generations without discriminating against men and women so that we can effectively deal with preconceived notions built on gender discrimination."

Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on Gender Mainstreaming Chairperson Uzma Kardar maintained that to "make sure we leave no one behind, we must sensitise communities".

"Gender equality should come naturally to the youth. When women earn more medals in universities, why do they get less opportunities in practical lives?" Kardar queried, while adding that she was confident that the coming generation will witness gender equality in their lifetime.