Breaking the Glass Ceiling in a Pakistan Gas Station

Station in Lahore is the country’s first to hire women to pump gas.

October 22, 2014

LAHORE, Pakistan – For the first time, a gas station in Pakistan has employed women to run the gas pumps, a major move to empower women in a conservative Muslim country where females are often discouraged for adopting public roles.

The Zoom petrol station in Lahore has taken the bold initiative of employing women to work in what has always been essentially a male domain. The female employees actually get paid more than the male staff and are hired directly by the petrol station, whereas the men are either hired on contract or daily wage basis. The female workers are employed in two shifts, 8 am to 5 pm and 10 am to 7 pm.

The Zoom station is located in a relatively upscale area and has a reliable local customer base, helping to alleviate the potential issue of hiring women for the traditionally male role, and thus far neither customers nor management have reported any problems.

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