The Biggest Challenge Faced by Women in Pakistan by Manahil Khan

“Man is defined as a human being and a woman as a female — whenever she behaves as a human  being, she is said to imitate the male.” ― Simone de Beauvoir 

Much of the structure of society today has been heavily influenced by rigid gender norms: the  suffocating ideology of closing human beings in a proposition of what they should be because of their  sex. Women are the ones most negatively impacted by these stereotypes, especially in a patriarchal  society such as Pakistan where men dominate areas of moral authority and social privilege. A women's  value and esteem is attached to a male or to another human. The highest level of regality she earns is  through the titles of a sister, mother, or wife. 

Pakistani society functions on values that are conservative and rather traditional. Hence, a woman's  conventional role is established as a caretaker, confined to the four walls of her accomodation. These  preconceived notions about what a woman should be and the crippling pressure, lack of freedom and  choice that she is presented with to embody these, turns her into more of a commodity and less of a  human being with a free will, individuality, and desire. It also becomes the basis of gender discrimination  and the many more challenges she must face.  

The educational sector of Pakistan prominently showcases the inequity between the two sexes. 32  percent of primary school aged girls are out of school in Pakistan, compared to a 21 percent of boys.  Generation after generation, girls are sealed away from education. Many people in rural areas hold the  belief that girls should not be educated. The girls that do manage to go to school are removed as soon as  they hit the age of puberty. Child marriage is therefore a consequence as well as a cause of a lack of  education. People prefer to educate their sons rather than their daughters as the latter would  eventually be wedded off into another household. In Pakistan, 21 percent of girls marry before 18. 

Employment being linked to education also serves as a template for gender disparity. It is upsetting to  note that of a female population of above 15 only 24 percent is part of the labor force in Pakistan  compared to 81 percent of the male. This difference is not only due to the lack of educational access for  females but also due to preliminary ideas about a woman, due to which they are preferred to opt for  occupations that are more in line with their 'female characteristics.' 

This deficit in employment opportunities leads to lack of financial independence for women and  increased dependency on the male for something as basic as accommodation, piled with the pressure of  having to maintain the dignity of her family; many women become victims of abuse inside a marital 

relationship and find it extremely difficult if not impossible to leave.  

One of the most pressing issues concerning women in Pakistan to this day, is honor killings. A woman's  chastity is considered almost sacred, so it is a belief held by some individuals that if she does something  immodest then the male in her family has the right to take her life to protect their honor. In 2015 nearly  1,100 women were killed because of it.  

Most of the women in Pakistan certainly do not live an easy life. They wake up every day, in fear of what  they might do wrong and in yearn of what they can never do. The world is progressing and now it is time  we recognize the female as a human being that deserves no less than a male.  

The Pakistani Government should raise campaigns to re-define a women's role in the society. Child  Marriages and Honor Killings should strictly be made illegal and every girl should be granted access to  basic education and healthcare. Gender studies be made an essential course at Universities. People in  rural areas should be educated about women's rights. It should be a priority for the Government to  enforce laws that grant women equal opportunity in the employment sector.  

Eventually, every big change begins with a small step. We, as a society, should abandon these  stereotypes and teach our coming generations the same for denying people the freedom to choose their  path in life because of something as facile as gender, is denying them the right to truly live. It is time we  learn to respect women not just for being a woman but for being a human.