Tamour Ali
According to the census conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics in 2018, the population of males and females is nearly equal in Pakistan, with just a razor-thin majority of men over women. But if we see the ratio of working women in different professions, we would be dissatisfied with their narrow presence, particularly in the administration paradigm and on-field jobs. Do our women lack talent or specialized skills? No, this is because of the patriarchal mindset and misogynistic nature of Pakistan’s society. Women are not admired to adopt diverse types of jobs to pursue their careers. Therefore, most of them feel secure becoming teachers, doctors, lawyers, and nurses. No doubt, it is true that women have achieved rights after a lot of struggle in the West. They gained voting rights in 1990 that started from New Zealand and then followed up by other nations. Multiple feminist waves in the last century galvanized women’s rights. They succeeded in getting get equal wages, labor rights, legal advantages and health privileges. Today, it can be seen women are enjoying themselves in an equitable and fertile environment in the western nations. Even our females feel more peaceful and comfortable in that environment.Sad to say, women in Pakistan are deeply entrenched in many socio-economic problems, particularly in rural and low-income families. Firstly, they have to face a family barrier which hampers females from achieving omnipotent skills. Parents usually spend more money on the education and necessaries of male children as compared to female ones. A traditional setup has been arranged in which a female child is neglected at the cost of a male child. Pertinent to mention here is the fact that the rights of females are also exploited at the hands of women themselves. Mothers undermine female children just because of societal norms, values, and traditions which affect the mental and physical abilities of female children.Luckily, those girls who continue their studies and get Higher Education have to confront multifarious challenges. They have to face verbal and non-verbal harassment not only in colleges and universities but also at bus stops or in their transportation. It has become difficult for women to live their life according to their wishes. In Pakistan, religion is used as a tool to subjugate women, subvert their rights and compromise their free will and ideas. On the contrary, Islam preaches equality and dual responsibility of both genders for their acts and deeds. It does not allow to suppress of women just based on their gender. Furthermore, the literacy rate of women in Pakistan is nearly 48% which is far less as compared to men. Those women who work in offices or their respective workplaces have to suffer from the challenges like dress codes, fewer wages as compared to men, less progressive opportunities, and issues of maternity leaves. Unfortunately, it is believed in our traditional culture that women are less talented and non-creative which is completely a false belief. If women are empowered with better resources and a healthy environment, they are unmatchable in giving the desired results. Malala Yousafzai is a shining example of it. She is one of the most inspiring personalities across the globe as mentioned by Times Magazine. Adding fuel to fire, in Pakistan, women’s protests for their rights are not considered a righteous approach. Aurat Marches in various cities have been backlashed with agony and hatred. You can have a difference of opinion on their way of protesting or the slogans written on their play cards, but you can’t deny the social taboo of gender inequality in Pakistan. According to Gender Inequality Index, Pakistan is ranked 153 out of 156 countries which is a glaring picture of Pakistan’s soft image. Moving further, various governments have enacted legislation for women’s rights and gender equality. Different laws, for example, The Acid and Burn Crime Bill, and Protection of Women against Harassment at Workplace, have been passed recently for the welfare of women. Nonetheless, only passing laws is not enough to provide integrity and security to women. It is necessary that being a society we have to change our thoughts and behaviors. Let’s give women a free space and such an environment where they can move freely and can take and accept decisions open-heartedly. To cap it all, the trends are shifting now. In middle and upper-middle-class families, females are being given priority in education and other realms of life. They are economically independent that’s why they are strong and are being respected. However, it is high time to focus on the marginalized class where women are exploited based on myriad reasons including religion. For this, a collective effort is required without any prejudices. Pakistan would not progress until its women are educated and empowered
