“WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY”

“Women hold up half the sky”

By SADIA WALI

International Women’s Day is celebrated worldwide on 8th March. What is needed to be pondered is that it is not only a day celebration; it is a lifelong commitment to end injustice against women. For an average woman in Pakistan this might be an ordinary day. Pakistani society is still polluted with unheretical beliefs in the name of religion and culture, social constraints and discrimination based on deeply entrenched values and perceptions about women’s role in the society have created deep- rooted gender disparity. Pakistan has been ranked the second worst country in the world for gender equality for a second year in a row.

Gender parity is at the core of the MDGs. MDG 3 focuses upon the key challenges faced by women in three major areas: education, employment and political participation. Female education not only results in a large segment of society (women) having access to labour opportunities, enhance employment opportunities and higher wages for women. MDG3 aims to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2025.

According Global Gender Gap Report 2017, Pakistan continues to rank second worst country with the rank of 143 out of 144 countries in economic participation and opportunities and 135 in educational attainment. Providing equal opportunities for better quality education is critical for women and girls to improve their employment options. The report described Physical violence as the most shameful of all rights violations and one of the most intractable to eliminate fully.

The study conducted by the United Nations indicates that one third of the over 30 million working aged women in Pakistan are deemed economically active. The report emphasized how women spend 90% of their salary on their children and the health, education and well-being of their family. Owing to deep-rooted gender disparities pertaining to availability of opportunities and resources, only a small number of women in Pakistan are able to start and sustain an entrepreneurial venture. The report highlighted that investing in women’s economical participation is a direct way to gender equality, poverty reduction and inclusive economic growth; we need to give girls and women the equal opportunities to which they are entitled.

Pakistan is changing rapidly. Sixty per cent of the population under the age of 25 has high access to cellphones and internet. Women have begun to have awareness to their rights and now they can no longer be hold back. Young girls are going to college and schools. Even in the remotest of villages, young girls have come up to lead a better life. They want greater economic independence; they wish to take decisions regarding education, marriage and improve their social status.

We cannot forget the great revolutionary woman, Comrade TahiraMazhar Ali under whose leadership the international women’s day was observed first time in Pakistan on March 08, 1948. The struggle was continued by Mai Bakhtawar, Comrade Shanta and Asma Jahangir.

Hats off to young talented women in Pakistan who have high aspirations to bring social change in the country. There are countless other Pakistanis women who are working either as individuals or in teams in urban areas and far flung areas of the country. 

In the year 2017, women from diversified backgrounds have diligently worked in various fields. Let’s look at their notable achievements.

Syeda Ghulam Fatima. general secretary of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan (BLLF), was presented with the Clinton Global Citizen Award 2015 for leadership in civil society Marium Mukhtar- Although the 24-year-old Flying Officer was martyred when her training aircraft crashed near Mianwali in November, Marium will always be remembered as the first lady pilot of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to attain the great honour

Dr Nergis Mavalvala-Pakistan-born astrophysicist played a part in discovery of gravitational waves

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy became the first Pakistani to win two Oscar awards. Sharmeen won in the Best Documentary Short Subject for A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness in the 88th Academy awards. The documentary which sheds light on honour killings in Pakistan follows the story of a teenage girl shot in the face by her own family

Minhal Sohail-The 21-year-old became Pakistan’s first female shooter to compete at Olympics 2016. Although, she couldn’t win gold and secured 28th position in the 10m air rifle event. Minhal has made us proud by qualifying for the Rio Games Ayesha is Pakistan’s first ever female war-ready fighter pilot. The 26-year-old fighter, hailing from Bahawalpur, is one of the 19 women who have achieved the ranks of pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade – there are five other female fighter pilots but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat

Shazia Asif Khan is an Educationist and Human Rights Activist. She is the founder and President of AAB- the need of life, an NGO in Karachi. She is the founder of Minerva Education System, a model school for underprivileged children in Gulshan, Karachi Saba Gul is the Founder and CEO of Popinjay, a social enterprise that empowers marginalised underprivileged girls in Pakistan with education and provides them with employment opportunities by selling their goods (embroidered handbags currently) to a high-end market

Today, the world mobilizes to accelerate gender parity in every sphere of influence. Women’s economic empowerment requires bold and sustained action to advance women’s opportunities and rights and to ensure that women can participate and be heard.

 Given the current economic challenges in Pakistan, there is an urgent need to focus on women’s economic participation, their rights and empowerment. To increase their economic opportunities, women need access to more and better jobs, a business climate that financially supports them in starting a business. Women have unique skills; their economic contribution can make a difference in GDP. As they can play a vital role for economic growth, government and private sector should provide innovative program to provide equitable access to high-quality education, healthcare, jobs and justice to women.

In a big rally staged today  by the Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) in Karachi  demanded to end all discriminatory laws against women, and accept them as equal citizens. The speakers reiterated that the society could only prosper   if discriminatory laws and biased attitudes against women is eliminated. Sadly, there is no section in the labor laws of this country to end harassment of women at workplace. Women workers are deprived of social security, EOBI, health and safety and all basic rights which male workers enjoy at workplace.

They came up with important decisions such

The feudal and tribal system should be ended from the country, as this system has kept women enslaved for centuries. All anti women traditions should be ended, discrimination to women, Karo Kari, Wata Sata and honor killings should be ended. The legal system should be improved and its access to common citizens ensured.  Effective legislation should be carried out to end the religious extremism and it should also be implemented.There should be equal wages for equal work and the wages of workers should be increased.

Empowering women and girls is the only way to protect their rights and make sure they apprehend their full potential and utilize their skills in constructive purposes.

The writer works as Assistant Editor at Innovative solution, Karachi. She can be contacted at sadiawali@hotmail.com