Internet blames feminism, suggests polygamy for '10 million unmarried Pakistani women over 35'

Many have taken to the internet to express their disbelief

Entertainment Desk April 30, 2024
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As of late, news has been circulating, promising earth-shattering, albeit completely unverified "information" that has left many open-mouthed in shock. Cries of "haw haye" have been heard reverberating through the land of the pure, as social media accounts and a local news network reported, "10 million Pakistani girls, above the age of 35, are unmarried."

Gasp. But how can this be? As citizens of the nation come to terms with this number that has spread like wildfire, many have taken to the internet to express their disbelief, share their takes on why this is so, and pretty much dissect the offered information and to use as an anchor point for online arguments.

One X user offered a detailed response. "Excessive demands from the groom's family, including cash and goods as dowry," made the list, as did, "many parents prefer a doctor as a daughter-in-law for the prestige, yet often prevent them from practising medicine." Other reasons put on the table were, "educated women increasingly reject unsuitable marriage proposals" and "a growing number of women are contesting patriarchal and misogynistic attitudes." 

Another said, "It is time for Pakistanis to think about creating a better society for girls, rather than stubbornly considering how to control them in the shadow of patriarchy. I’m sure that the figure mentioned will keep increasing in the future." Yet another furthered, "Giving priority to higher education over marriage and a desire to become independent and highly successful in career are some reasons."

One X user didn't agree though. Stating that the "real reason" behind this statistic is women themselves, the marriage guru lamented the "high demand they seek from their partner," drawing from real-life experiences. "I am 38 now, still unmarried only because of this reason, and one of them has even denied my proposal because I have no bike or car," said the crestfallen user. "Gift of feminism," said another disgruntled user of the microblogging site, who seemed to believe that empowering women would prevent marriages. 

One hopeful individual saw the quoted figure as an opportunity. "So what you're telling me is that I will have almost no competition if I go to Pakistan to get a wife?" they quipped. The many supporters of polygamy found an opening, with one stating, "The reason why polygamy should be a common practice in society, but we shallow-minded Pakistanis have related it with misogyny."

Another individual had a completely unrelated theory - one that may have many scratching their heads, trying to fill in the blanks. "I blame PCB for removing Shaheen Afridi from captaincy, those above 35-year-old girls are waiting for Shaheen to get captaincy again," said the user of the site formerly known as Twitter about a married cricketer. A self-presumed international relations expert, as one can assume from the comment offered, suggested, "If girls of Pakistan agree to marry boys of Bangladesh, it will be a great solution, and Pakistan-Bangladesh relations will be strengthened." 

A free-thinker, quoting the survey, added, "My women are freeing themselves," celebrating the statistic. A like-minded individual joined in, saying, "Happy for all women in South Asia escaping the conditioning that marriage is the only endgame for all of us." One X user simply said, "If you’ve ever interacted with a Pakistani man on here you’ll immediately understand why," refusing to elaborate further. One person was rightfully concerned about the language used. "Why are they being referred to as 'girls'? They're adult women," they said. "Meanwhile I still can't find a wife," lamented one user, further disheartened by the widely reported number. 

The Express Tribune could not independently verify the statistic. Regardless, the widespread number has shocked many. Thus, one can safely assume that as WhatsApp University facilitates the delivery of the quote far and wide, this will make for mildly interesting and highly divisive drawing-room conversation. 

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COMMENTS (2)

laila | 6 months ago | Reply where is the link of the report
Sohail Rabbani | 6 months ago | Reply Even if we were to accept this number as correct these 10-million above-35 so-called girls are not all still in their mid-30s. Many have crossed 70 60 50 etc. And many of them didn t marry out of choice. Maybe they had other family obligations which they bravely shouldered putting off their own marriages even if there were any prospects for the same. Plus why are we concerned only about unmarried females What about the unmarried men This gender distinction itself betrays our patriarchal bias. Marriage isn t all a women s life is supposed to be devoted to.
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