CRASS sexism and misplaced notions of moral autonomy are hallmarks of Pakistan’s political class. Instead of leading by example, men in power, through their chauvinistic remarks about women’s appearance and character, ensure that conversation sinks to new lows. Repeat offenders exist in every political outfit; PTI lawmaker Muhammed Iqbal Afridi became the latest example of patriarchal behaviour when he objected to the attire of a female official at K-Electric who participated in a meeting at Parliament House. “If people come [to gatherings] in such a manner in a respectable society, what will children say?” was his shameful aside. He also expressed a need for SOPs for women’s outfits. Although the panel’s chairman expressed regret, the errant lawmaker walked away scot-free. Indeed, such regressive attitudes displayed by the ‘boys club’ have ensured that gender equity remains out of reach in politics and society.

The frequency with which such outdated conditioning raises its ugly head is troubling. Offensive ideas lower legislators’ moral position and that of their party, exposing a collective failure to understand that sexism exerts negative effects on the political sphere by shaping outmoded mentality, policies and social mores for the girl child. From Fatima Jinnah’s era to the KE bureaucrat, gender politics and equality have been in a state of decay in Pakistan. In parallel to this is the global political and public discourse, which lays stress on heightened gender justice and rights to defeat uncouth ‘gender ideology’. Hence, lawmakers who make lofty promises to liberate this country from its current socioeconomic chaos and bring prosperity, need to accept that primitive ways of thinking, manifest in crass words, turn them into caricatures. Progress will remain elusive without greater awareness regarding gender sensitivity, female inclusion and accountability for those who cross the line. Gender has to transcend ‘traditional roles’ as modernisation is incomplete sans respect.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2024