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| November 23, 2005 | Wednesday | Shawwal 20, 1426 |
Indigenous move must for women freedom
RAWALPINDI, Nov 22: Indigenous feminist movements are vital to ensure participation of women in the national life in Pakistan.
This was stated by Prof Diana Leonard, head of the Centre for Research and Education on Gender at the Institute of Education University, London, while talking to Dawn at the Fatima Jinnah Women University here on Tuesday. She said fuller participation of women could be ensured through enhancement of their self-esteem and skills.
“Pakistani women face problems to enter the job market and they also suffer harassment at their workplaces,” she added, adding that British women also faced similar problems but it was far larger for the Pakistani women.
“In UK and USA there were feminist movements which led to their emancipation,” Prof Diana said and added that a sense of solidarity among women themselves could improve their standing in society.
She claimed that Pakistani women were more excluded than their counterparts in Bangladesh, while Indian women enjoyed more freedom and had more opportunities in job market.
Women’s inclusion in the legislature in Pakistan was a welcome move but it was not the solution to the problems they were facing in society. The country had a woman prime minister but no substantial change was noticed in the lot of women, she said, adding that former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet was also dominated by men.
Prof Leonard said co-education could improve relations between men and women and it would also increase women’s opportunities in the job market.
Pakistani Diaspora in England through interaction with women in Pakistan could play an important role for their betterment, she said. She said many NGOs were working for the uplift of women but there were reasons to doubt their sincerity.
She stressed the role of media and government for the encouragement of women’s active participation in society.
About her engagement at the FJWU, the professor said she was conducting a course on “Gender: theory and practice in education” for PhD students. She would also assist the FJWU in developing the curriculum for a higher education leadership and management course which will be launched next year.
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