Essay by Aleena Zahra

 Let us not beat around the bush. 

The problem facing women in my country today is that they are  women. By definition of the word used for women, they are lesser than  men. No, they're lesser than a human being.  

 Aurat. The word for woman. Originating from Arabic. A  profanity. On Google translate it translates to 'naked'. Other meanings  include private parts, weakness, and defect.  

 That is the issue women in Pakistan face today. What they are  called and thus, perceived as. A defect. A Weak Being. Genitalia. 

 An Aurat. 

 Each time I walk on my county's streets, every time I go to a  market, park, or restaurant; I am consumed with fear. It would be  accurate to say that I have been dodging people on the street before  covid19.

Men, to be specific. Because it is as if each time, I let my guard  down someone sees it as an opportunity to feel me up. It is as if they  see me and think "That's an Aurat!" And they rationalize that they can  do to me as they please.  

After all, Aurat is synonymous with weak and vulnerable. That  may be why our opinions are not accounted for and to this day  domestic rape is not seen as rape. The commonly held opinion is that  women owe men sex. An opinion that costs women time and time  again.  

However, in Pakistani patriarchal society these aren't the only  'rights' men have. 

As a young mother who worked as a maid, and lived in a one room house told me. "So, what if men beat their wives?! They get what  they deserve. The men have a right to beat their wives if they are  disobedient".  

The derogatory term, Aurat, describes women as genitalia.  

Moreover, I have been educated by the Facebook community  while researching for this essay. They say that the reason women are 

called this is that they are meant to protect their bodies from being  looked at and they must always guard their virginity.  

Not only do women bear bruises from domestic violence, but are  burdened to be the protectors of honor of the family and are  dependent on men financially. For them, there is no escape from these  horrors.  

 But why do women have to face these things? 

During my sophomore year in high school, I cut off my curly locks,  ready to face society and my friends. I was met with strangers who  would not only stare at me continually, but they'd come up to me and  complain that I didn't look like a female. That I better start acting  properly, because my behavior and defiance doesn't suit a girl. 

I, then, realized that gender roles have always been around me.  Imprisoning and suffocating women to conform to a standard they  don't fit in. You can't simply opt-out of the assigned roles. There are  consequences. To live in a society, you have to follow its rules or face  rejection. 

This leads me to deep dive into the rabbit hole of gender roles.

Here in Pakistan, a woman is seen as guarding the honor of her  whole family. She guards this by being an Aurat, she guards her private  parts, she guards her virginity. This is why women who get divorced  rarely ever marry again. Men don't want 'used' women. 

On top of this, it adds up to the feelings of shame women  experience if they are sexually abused. Feelings, that they aren't pure  anymore. That there's something wrong with them. So, they don't  speak up. The first time I ever spoke about my own traumatic  experiences, I was shunned by my closest friend, who said that it was  'gross' and that she didn't want to 'hear disgusting things'. 

Gender roles confine us to not speak up. Women in this country  are not heard. This year's Aurat march had bricks and stones hurled on  it. For what crimes?  

 For speaking up about taboo topics that no 'proper' woman  could ever utter from her lips. Such social rules in our society hold us  from growing, hold women from getting their rights. It's how people on  Twitter accuse the MeraJismMeriMarzi slogan of promoting women to  be 'loose' and to let them stray away from religion. When, in reality,  women in this country are asking for the basics. Don't rape us. Don't  molest us. Don't stop us by throwing bricks on us.

"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not  allowed to criticize" ‐ Voltaire.  

We cannot let our social customs from centuries ago still dictate  what women do with their bodies and how they live their lives. We  must speak up. If not now, then when? The fabric of society has to be  restitched so that it's a society for all. Not just patriarchs.