PESHAWAR, March 16: Women engaged in menial and domestic work in the city have complained of growing financial and social problems. These women have mostly ventured out because there is no one else to support them.

Forty-year-old Sakina is one such woman. She has been working as a maid in a government-owned hostel for 15 years. Previously, she worked as a servant in different houses.

A mother of eight, Sakina is facing a host of problems in her struggle to earn a livelihood for her family. Her husband is bed-ridden and she has to take care of her family with Rs3,000 she earns a month.

“The amount given to me is utterly insufficient to cater to the needs of my family,” she says.

Due to financial constraints she is unable to send her children to school, despite her best intentions. “It is very difficult to fulfil the basic necessities of life. I can hardly pay the utility bills.

“If we pay the bills there is hardly anything left for our kitchen. What to say of our other needs.”

Sakina’s three sons and two daughters are married and her sons live separately with their wives. “My husband has been suffering from paralysis since long,” she said, adding that though she is the bread-earner, her husband makes the key family decisions.

She says her only desire is to have a house of her own. Two of her daughters work as servants for the owner of her rented house in lieu of the rent.

Her youngest son learnt tailoring but could not start his business because he didn’t have the resources required.

Meanwhile, the condition of another maid Zarina is no different. A widow, Zarina has been working for 11 years.

“I have seven children and am still living in the house of my mother-in-law,” she says. Her husband used to work as a low-grade employee for Peshawar University. Her three daughters and two sons are married.

Her eldest son is ill and cannot work. She also has to support his wife and three daughters with her meagre salary.

“The time which I spent with my husband is unforgettable. Alas! After his death, there is an endless struggle for survival,” Zarina says.