Gender Inclusion and Public Access: Empowering Women through Retail Governance Interventions

This paper examines how the Punjab Sahulat Bazaars Authority (PSBA) operationalizes gender inclusion within public retail governance, transforming women’s empowerment from aspirational policy to measurable practice. Unlike peer institutions in Punjab, PSBA embeds gender-responsive mechanisms directly into its market design, vendor policies, pricing strategies, and infrastructure, ensuring both entrepreneurial opportunities and safe, affordable access for women consumers. Using a qualitative comparative case study approach, the study triangulates official records, independent audits, financial metrics, and program reports to evaluate PSBA’s performance. Key interventions include reserved stalls for women entrepreneurs, 50% rental discounts, dedicated hygiene and safety facilities, price regulation 35% below market rates, and mobile bazaars targeting underserved households. Findings demonstrate that gender-focused policy can be fiscally sustainable, scalable, and replicable, offering a transformative blueprint for inclusive public service delivery and citizen-centric governance in developing economies.