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It’s hard to fathom that even in the 21st century women are reduced to fighting for their emancipation. How far will women’s rights activists have to go to advocate egalitarianism between the sexes? Why are they still being compelled to feel insecure? Why must their slight misdemeanors be scrutinized, highlighted and probed for justifications whilst those of their counterparts simply shrugged aside? This sordid state of affairs resiliently persists in our society solely on account of male chauvinism.
It did not come to me as a surprise to know that a global survey of perceptions regarding violence against women had ranked Pakistan third, with Afghanistan making it to the top of the list and Congo taking up second place.
I shudder to think about the fate of women in interior villages where tribal customs reign supreme. More often than not, a lot of cases of brutal treatment of women and young girls don’t even make it to the news let alone be brought to justice. Many of Pakistan’s women are in jeopardy simply because their kind is considered to be weak, insignificant and mere objects of men to deal with as they see fit. The parochial mindset of tribesmen across the country has compromised the role of women to a great extent giving them a permanent secondary status as opposed to an integral one.
One would think that Islam would help foster tolerance amidst all facets of society but its interpretation on the treatment of women has been defiled. Islam has given both man and woman equal footing and although women have special needs, it in no way denotes that they must be dictated and suppressed. Women, who suffer at the hands of patriarchal societies, primarily because they consider the maltreatment to be a part of their culture, often never realize that they need not put up with perpetual oppression. Hence, it is imperative to educate women in tribal settings of their rights and do away with their disillusionment and false sense of complacency.
To negate the important role of women in building the foundations of any society is sure to lead towards its self destruction. Unfortunately people in remote villages have become blinded by their archaic traditions to recognize women as anything more than child bearers. Women who become victims of honor killing, domestic violence, murder, rape and even something as heinous as incest have become mere statistic – if they were considered anything more, the deplorable conditions of depravity that so many of them face day in and day out would have been effectively dealt with.
We must come to terms with the fact that there is an inherent flaw in our system that must be rectified if a difference in the real sense is to be made. We are all responsible to some extent of propagating the idea that males are superior while females are frail creatures who do not have the capability to reason. We have accepted and internalized female gender roles that are limited to the boundaries of a household. If people just have confidence in their daughters and give them that one chance, I have no doubt in my mind that this nation would prosper greatly.
First and foremost we must change the way we think about women, let’s give them the respect they deserve and let us not belittle them. The least we can do is work on our own mindsets and stereotypes about women and at the same time educate the people who work in our homes to treat their womenfolk with reverence.
“The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race.” —Susan B. Anthony
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
