Essay by Sadaf Tausif

“There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.” ― Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Among the plethora of problems which deter Pakistan from setting sail on the path of development and prosperity, perhaps the most unfortunate and regrettable one is the lack of education for women.

While Pakistan has produced Malala Yousafzais and Arfa Karims, millions of Pakistani girls are deprived of the chance to go to school and tap into their potential. They are deprived of the opportunity to stand on their feet and be aware of their own rights and responsibilities.

It has been estimated in 2006, that only 12% of women in rural areas are literate, while only 3% between the ages of 17 and 23 have access to higher education. The statistics are much better in urban areas and have overall improved since 2006, but there is still a great dearth of academic opportunities and the prevailing conditions are still lamentable. Several factors contribute to this status quo.

Pakistan consists of a male-dominated society and men are considered heads and breadwinners of their families. As convention persists, many women from the lower classes do not have the option to go out of their houses and work in offices from 9am to 5pm. As a result, sending daughters to school is not considered a high priority, especially if the household is living from hand to mouth.

In the very backward areas of the country, like the tribal areas, traditions such as child marriages are common. Girls are married off before they even hit puberty so the elders feel that spending time and money on their education would be wasteful.

Although the acquisition of knowledge for both men and women is commanded in Islam, militant groups and terrorists at large in the northern areas threaten to kill girls sent to school and have even launched attacks on girls’ schools in the region. The war against terrorism must be won to change this situation.

The biggest problem that arises from these factors is that women are unaware of the rights given to them by their religion and the constitution. The illiterate girls become subservient to violent husbands or abusive in-laws and accept their fates with bowed heads. Laws against domestic violence cannot be implemented until the victims themselves realise that they are victims.

“No nation can ever be worthy of its existence that cannot take its women along with the men. No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men.” ― Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Many like Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, winner of two Oscars; Naseem Hameed, once the fastest woman in South Asia; Samina Baig, fearless mountaineer; Asma Jahangir, famed Pakistani human rights lawyer and activist, and Flying Officer Mariam Mukhtar all epitomize the potential of Pakistani women, but talent at large remains suppressed.

Unfortunately, there is no one solution that can address all the factors which impede women’s empowerment in Pakistan. There are too many cultural, traditional, social and economic barriers that need to be broken down.

The onus is on the government and NGOs of Pakistan to work together to improve the state of girls’ education in the country. Segregated institutions ranging from primary to university level must be set up with proper infrastructure and facilities that cater to the country’s religious and social norms. Special attention must be paid to sports and physical training to improve the overall health of the female population.

Even the most poverty-stricken of women can be ‘empowered’ by small inititatives like providing them with sewing machines and teaching them how to use them. In fact, this is exactly what the social enterprise Kashf Foundation is doing – helping needy women set up small scale business such as handicrafts by providing loans to be paid back whenever convenient.

Initiatives like that taken by the Government of Punjab to train underprivileged women in poultry farming, could make a world of difference in reducing the challenges faced by the women of Pakistan. By teaching them a ‘skill’ and facilitating them to set up small businesses through micro loans, our young women can support themselves, and hence their country, without breaking tradition or convention.

It is the need of the hour that the underprivileged, illiterate girls who are marginalized by society are provided with easy access to education, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities so that they can become strong women of tomorrow.