Silencing half the nation

Pakistan has been ranked as the worst country for women in terms of gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2025. The country is placed at the bottom of the index, ranking 146th out of 146 countries.

A toxic fusion of feudalism, tribalism, unchecked capitalism and religious authoritarianism paralyses our nation. The result is a rigid class system where upward mobility is nearly impossible; and women, who make up 49% of the population, are condemned to perpetual struggle.

When a society begins to value lineage over labour, and control over character, it starts to decay from within. This is the dark reality of our society that characterises class divide and gender inequality — a society where privilege is inherited, not earned; where caste and capital define worth; and where patriarchy suffocates the individual before they can even breathe.

At the very heart of this inequality lies a deliberate strategy: the denial of education. Although women have the right to quality education and equal employment opportunities alongside men, they are systematically deprived of both. For decades, rural women have lagged behind in terms of equality. They are burdened with household chores, sent to work in fields or factories, or confined to their homes under the pretext of honour. In truth, it is not tradition but fear — fear of educated, empowered women — that drives this suppression.

Urban women are not free from injustice; they face a different, yet equally troubling, form of it. When a woman courageously enters the workforce, she encounters multiple challenges, often acknowledged but routinely ignored. These include workplace harassment, lack of childcare support, pay disparities, and a corporate culture that views women as liabilities rather than leaders. Women in the public sector are particularly vulnerable, facing delayed payments, job insecurity and social isolation, often without any formal mechanisms for redress.

These are not isolated issues. While authorities may acknowledge them, proper action is lacking due to the government's failure to strictly implement laws that could create a favourable environment for women in society. If left unaddressed, these problems form a systemic pattern — one that pushes women to the margins of public life, devalues their labour, and undermines their agency. This is most evident in the plight of rural women, who bear with gender and class discrimination. From dawn to dusk, they toil in homes and fields, their contributions unrecognised and their aspirations unmet.

Why does this persist? Because of outdated and morally indefensible beliefs: that a woman is inherently inferior because she was "born from man", that physical strength defines worth, and that religious or tribal customs must remain unchallenged — even when they oppress. These are not only historical fallacies. They are the shackles that keep half our population from rising.

It's time we questioned these myths; time we acknowledged that men and women are not adversaries, but partners in building a meaningful society. It is the woman when she is empowered, the nation progresses; when she is silenced, decay sets in.

We can either continue along this regressive path, clinging to a status quo that benefits the few at the expense of the many, or we can commit to genuine change by setting the standard in democratising education, enforcing laws that protect women, investing in childcare, and dismantling the caste-class patriarchy that governs our institutions.

The chains that bind our progress are not unbreakable; they are reinforced by silence and apathy. Now is the time to replace both with action. Let us build a society where no one is oppressed because of their gender, class or caste; where even the right to choose one's partner is not questioned. This is a fundamental right of both men and women: to live according to their desires.