Why do women have to choose, asks Zunaira Inam

Usman Mukhtar's wife points out the flaws in marriage as an institution

Zunaira Inam, a research analyst, recently tied the knot with actor Usman Mukhtar. While Imam has always praised her husband and their journey together, she also opened up about how different her life has been post marriage.

Zunaira hosted a question and answer session on her Instagram stories where someone asked her how different is she finding her married life. "It’s been great so far, Alhamdulillah! The only thing I’ve been struggling with is referring to my husband’s house as [my] home," she said answering the question.

Often in patriarchal societies like ours, women are conditioned to think their goal in life is marrying into another house. So much so, that a common notion in our society is to marry off the daughter as soon as she comes of age. Zunaira questioned the status quo here and added, “But on a deeper level, why should a woman have to choose? Why can’t both homes just be home? They should be."

Marrying into someone's life is a big adjustment and we are glad women are speaking up about the struggles that bother them even when their married life and partner make them happy. Usman and Zunaira had a cute nikkah in Islamabad in March while other wedding festivities took place last month.

Recently, the youngest Nobel Prize laureata Malala Yousafzai addressed the same issue in a recent essay she wrote for British Vogue. "I wasn’t against marriage, but I was cautious about its practice. I questioned the patriarchal roots of the institution, the compromises women are expected to make after the wedding, and how laws regarding relationships are influenced by cultural norms and misogyny in many corners of the world. I feared losing my humanity, my independence, my womanhood – my solution was to avoid getting married at all," she had said.

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