Have women in Pakistan achieved a status equal to men?

Have women in Pakistan achieved a status equal to men?

Apparently various steps are being taken for the women’s right on the government level in Pakistan, but this gender discrimination still exists in the society.

In Pakistan, women are still oppressed physically, mentally and emotionally. The violence against women is not limited to a specific age group; rather a little girl also has to face some inequality because she is given a brought up, where she takes herself as an inferior gender. Such discrimination is mostly seen in the rural areas, but the practice cannot be denied in urban areas as well.

In some of the rural areas, there are not enough schools for girls even, but if they exist, the females are not allowed to get education. In the same way, males are preferred to get higher education while women are mostly asked to look after the in-house matters. Though women’s work is limited inside the house, but still they are not given the right to take decision about their own life or any other matter of their family.

Not all, but a big number of women in this male dominating society, are not considered more than an entity. Right from their childhood, a girl is taught to sacrifice for others and for her family. In some areas of Pakistan, women’s are still being sacrificially offered to different weird customs. As in the province of Singh, women are still reported to become victims of common custom “Karokari” where they are killed for the name of family’s honour. Even though, government has taken steps against this bizarre rule, but Karokari is still reported to be in practice.

Such customs are example of violence at the bigger level. However there are umpteenth cases at smaller level as well, which are hardly given more attention by the government bodies. One can witness the incidents of violence of women’s right in daily media reports. Mostly different cases of honour killing, bride burning, acid throwing, rape etc are reported.

Male in Pakistan’s society develop the sense of dominancy since their childhood. For example if a girl/woman has to get out of her  house for any purpose like for education, job or etc, she comes out with a sense of insecurity, because she has to face disgraceful remarks, starring by males, or some other awkward practices from the males of all the age.

All of this is just a glimpse of what the women are suffering in Pakistan. The fact cannot be denied that a country cannot progress until it roots out gender discrimination.

Posted by Asma Altaf on Oct 18 2011. Filed under Editorial, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry