The progress of a country is not possible without eradicating gender discrimination.
ISLAMABAD: Although Pakistan is a democracy, it seems that it is becoming increasingly difficult to purge the legacy of various kinds of dictatorships from the Pakistani society.
Pakistani women have since long been the victims of these dictatorial ideals. Violation of their rights has been the way of the most powerful and the most wealthy while the other sections of society also follow these powerful and wealthy groups when it comes to the violation of women’s rights. As a result, Pakistani women cannot come out of this vicious cycle of poverty and injustice; they are now one of the most disadvantaged groups of Pakistani society.
Gender discrimination in the field of education is very apparent. As we all know, progress without education is just a worker without tools. And if you have no tools, it means no work — just excuses. According to one report, female literacy rate in Pakistan is 16 per cent while the literacy rate for men is 35 per cent. This does much to reflect on the level of discrimination in the society.
Moreover, according to one report, 90 per cent of Pakistani households are headed by men. That Roman and Spartan system of two kings with equal power is certainly not a Pakistani thing. Leadership in the household is dictated by cultural ideals, social prejudices and the political system — not by practicality. You can see this phenomenon clearly in the world of business as well. The gender gap index shows an almost zero per cent ratio of women in top management positions in Pakistani firms. Similarly, there was a zero per cent share of women on the management boards of top Pakistani companies.
This absence of women from top jobs reflects the fact that Pakistanis do not value their women. It also shows that men are richer than women in Pakistan. A survey shows only three per cent of women hold bank accounts in financial institution whereas 17 per cent men have accounts in these financial institutions. Moreover, there are only two women in the federal cabinet while the Supreme Court has no women judges — these are clear examples of cultural prejudices. There are some good examples of female representation in the National Assembly, the Punjab Consumer Council and many other institutions but when looked at in comparison with the population of women in Pakistan, these sparse examples are quite insufficient. No representation in the corridors of power or in the top jobs at companies means no effective reduction in the violation of rights. For companies and organisations, it means no sensitivity towards social responsibility.
Pakistan refuses to utilise the potential of its women at the cost of bad products and services; this egotistic moralism makes the Pakistani nation suffer both socially and economically.
Pakistan can emerge from poverty by giving its women equal opportunities. The progress of a country is not possible without eradicating gender discrimination. The consequences of denying women their rights can be seen in the form of closed schools, violence, bad roads, faulty products, poor services and bad healthcare.
Alas, these challenges do not give a picture that a democratic country would like to present to its people and to other nations. In addition, this kind of evidence makes progress itself a meaningless word.
Naseer Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2014.
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