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March 9, 2006
Where do Pakistani women stand?
On February 28, the first National Women's Day was observed in the United States by the Socialist Party of America to honour the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York for better working conditions. It was not until 1910, at a meeting in Copenhagen, that March 8 was formally established to honour the movement for women's universal suffrage and equal rights
It is difficult to say that the movement for equal rights for women in the subcontinent is a consequence of the tumultuous events in North America and Europe where women were struggling for enfranchisement and better working conditions. But the observance of the International Women's Day falling each year on March 8, should definitely be attributed to our western fraternity.
On February 28, the first National Women's Day was observed in the United States by the Socialist Party of America to honour the 1908 garment worker's strike in New York for better working conditions. It was not until 1910 that at a meeting in Copenhagen, the day was formally established to honour the movement for women's universal suffrage and equal rights.
But in Pakistan the commemoration of the IWD is altogether a different story. Here this day brings in its wake a rude awakening to an average woman of her constant struggle for equal visibility. Be that in terms of political, conjugal or economic visibility, a woman of this state needs to kow tow to men for granting those rights which, in any case, are divinely ordained to her. Celebrated worldwide as a day to commemorate the social, economic and political freedoms of women, can the women of Pakistan justify the imperative of this day with a triumphant spirit?
The President of Pakistan thinks they can, or rather, they should. Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad, on March 4, 2006, after his meeting with the US President, President Pervez Musharraf talked about respecting the constitution and driving this country to a perfectly self-manicured democracy. He puts women and minorities in the same category and stated that at the local government level there were 33,000 women councillors and 72 women were sitting in Parliament. From the 72 members of parliament down to the women councillors their political empowerment is the benevolence of the ‘men in power’.
The decolonisation of a degree of political empowerment might be the government’s modern day Magna Carta for women, but the majority still sees no reason to celebrate the International Women's Day with the same aplomb as the women of other countries.
And how can they in a country where a Mukhtaran Mai exists, whose hope to live builds after an international outcry for justice? Where a Dr Shazia Khalid is allegedly raped and shunted off to live in another country? Where women are traded off as livestock in the tribal customs of vani and swara? Where the recommendations of the National Commission on the Status of Women remain non-implemented?
To join hands in applause for the 72 MNAs, of whom 60 have been inducted through a complex system of proportional representation, is a poor statement on women and ‘political change’. How can the presence of the assembly-occupants be seen as something of a landmark when they do not have the backing of any constituency? Such a system of medicated politics administered to give women political representation indicates that they are not seen fit to contest on a direct seat.
The donors of this controlled political opportunity are simply trying to fill out that part of their logbook falling under women’s seats, which does not necessarily require an appropriate measure of women’s representation. That is why it is most astonishing to hear an experienced politician like Begum Mehnaz Rafi, selected on a reserved seat by the PML(Q), comment that, “Women are not ready to go for direct elections right now. Reserving 60 seats for them is a good starting point because fighting on a general seat costs a lot. Women need to be taken slowly through the process of political participation.”
What Rafi is trying to say here is that after more than half a century of independence with a bursting population of 140 million, half of it women, only 12 of them elected directly have so far reached a political state of maturity. Does that constitute a worthwhile breakaway from the biases of the past? Does that mean Pakistan’s political circus, structured to suit men, is ready for women? The grey areas take up most of the space for the answers to be in black and white.
As a former member of the district council in Ravi Town, Khairrunisa had to face opposition from her own nazim. “We, councillors, were given a tough time, not by the people, but by the nazims who refused to release development funds to us. When I went to the nazim of UC 30, to ask him to help me to construct roads which were broken, he replied by saying that an old woman like me should not bother with such work and should sit at home,” says Khairrunisa.
It becomes even more difficult to join the international celebratory mood when reports released by non-governmental organisations like, the Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA) state that ‘in the last five years 31,000 crimes against women have taken place throughout the country, including rape, murder, torture, honour killings, burning, abduction and torture by police’.
According to the State of Human Rights in 2005, the annual report published by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 70 to 90 per cent of women suffer domestic violence. Between November 1, 2004 and August 31, 2005, seven cases of acid attacks on women were reported, 279 women were killed, nearly 538 women and girls were kidnapped, approximately eight cases of women being forced to strip took place and 80 per cent of women in jail were facing charges under the Hudood Ordinances.
Aside from the privileged few, the majority cannot find solace in the achievements of the western fraternity where, at the turn of the previous century, March 8 was established to mark their women's struggle for equality and freedom. The time to commemorate our struggle for visibility will come when the quantifying strength equals bona fide empowerment.
| A contented working woman |
| The other day, on the way back from a
lunch, my female colleagues fell into a discussion on issues of working
women. It was a pleasant surprise to note that the majority of them regarded
their jobs as a rewarding experience, contrary to the general perception
that working women’s lives were not happy ones. This triggered off all those horror stories I had read of women whose lives were a seesaw between their home and workplace. A lot has been written about them. These are the women who have built their careers due to monetary needs. They are often compared with housewives, or homemakers as they are now called, whose stress-free, veritably heavenly life is looked upon with envy. But between this black and white lies the gray. And here I strictly speak of the few fortunate ones who choose to work, rather than be forced by circumstances. But dear me, aren’t they the ‘bad’ ones who have besmirched Eve’s name, who talk about ‘financial independence,’ and who work ‘hard’ to be successful at their profession and go ahead in life? But then again, aren’t they the very same women, who are able to manage their homes and workplaces with equal vigour and organisation? Having been brought up by a working mother, and now enjoying a stimulating career, I feel I am more balanced than many of my friends with stay-at-home moms. Despite her job, I cannot remember any point in my life, when my mother ever neglected my needs. In fact, thanks to my upbringing, today, I am more independent and self-sufficient than ever because I grew up experiencing first hand a juggling of career with home, courtesy my mother. I feel that I can balance both with equal ease as well. Another point that people often tend to miss is that people who are used to intellectual stimulation, cannot sit at home for long. True, homemaking is an art, and bringing up children is a joy nothing can be compared with, but we all need some time to explore our talents and creativity, and a rewarding profession can be just the respite. As one colleague pointed out, the time spent at her workplace gives her the energy to deal with the household chores. — Sa’adia Reza |
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