Discriminatory authority

At all ages, throughout their personal and their professional lives, women have to combat rigid gendered stereotypes that seek to confine them in boxes of what society deems a woman to be. One stereotype that remains consistent calls for both young girls and women to be placable and subservient. Anyone who defies this norm is treated as a rowdy outcast, determined to disrupt the 'natural order of the universe.'

In workplaces, this stereotype is often coupled with blatant ageism, when women who refuse to act maternally towards their counterparts are labelled "unstable", allegedly "causing... problems for others." This quote verbatim belongs to the Vice Chancellor of the Federal Urdu University (FUUAST), Dr Zabta Khan Shinwari, whose remarks have recently been declared as workplace harassment by Pakistan's Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment.

The accuser, a lecturer at the same university, claimed that Dr Shinwari repeatedly cited "hormonal issues" for women over 35 as cause for their assertive behaviour. For this, the Vice-Chancellor has incurred a minor penalty of censure, alongside the University Syndicate being directed to monitor his behaviour.

According to a study conducted by a leading global organisation, Women of Influence+, nearly 80 per cent of women across the world have encountered age-related discrimination in their careers. Similarly, a top UC Berkeley professor found out that male professors encounter consistent evaluations over time, while female professors experience a quick decline after their 30s, and are usually termed as "unfriendly" or not "warm".

It is almost as if workplaces expect women to liven up a place, instead of exerting confidence, competence and skill. Such remarks, that too from an administrative body, reflect the culture of an institute, guiding several thousand students to act the same. Universities must work to dispel such stereotypes, instead of being active participants in the degradation of women.