A sexist assembly

One must note that Dr Shireen Mazari was criticised not for her actions but for her appearance and voice

While Pakistanis may well feel proud of the fact that they were able to elect a woman as head of government long before many more advanced countries were able to do so, perhaps this pride is misplaced. Pakistani women may get to sit in the National Assembly with their male counterparts and can debate the issues of the day with equal gusto. However, they are rarely treated as equal members and often find themselves relegated to the role of token representative with little power and voice. When they do speak up, they run the risk of being at the receiving end of gender-focused derogatory remarks. Over the years, women in the National Assembly have been criticised over their facial features, voices, style of dress, body shape and have also had to deal with unwanted compliments. The anecdotes of such behaviour go as far back as when women first joined the business of governance and is yet another reflection of the deep-set misogyny that plagues most workplaces here.

One might argue that Dr Shireen Mazari, who was jeered at in a most derogatory manner by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on June 8, was criticised because she had interrupted the latter and that similar treatment would be handed out to a male representative. One could also argue that members of all parties pass derisive remarks against their rivals and so do not have the moral high ground to protest when the same happens to them. However, one must note that Dr Mazari was criticised not for her actions but for her appearance and voice. Free to select what critique to lob at their opponent, male politicians inevitably choose sexist comments meant to demean women for being women or for being women who by being in the public sphere have forgone the right to demand respect. It is this mentality that was on display when Khawaja Asif passed these remarks with complete impunity. The lack of remorse afterwards showed that many of our male parliamentarians think nothing of insulting their women counterparts in a personal manner. Even the half-hearted apology Khawaja Asif offered a day later did little to calm feelings and was rightly rejected by Dr Mazari. It should be noted that this mentality also reflects the lax attitude that successive parliaments have displayed towards women’s issues and which has often prevented the enactment of laws protecting women in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2016.

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