Daily Times

There were times when women could only lend ear to patriarchal policy discussions while serving men coffee and snacks.  Today’s woman has it all, acumen, wisdom and insight to be a part of these debates. However, she still lacks bravery. Bravery is far more than the will to climb up K2; it is the mother of resilience, courage and confidence. Our girls are told to do great and to achieve excellence, but they are kept from the concept of risk taking. Not only risk taking, they are told to settle for the failure, rather than trying again and again.

If Rosa Parks had chosen to settle and not to voice out her rights, the civil rights movement in America would have had never started. Emmeline Pankhurst, the British activist refused to settle for the society which refrained women from having the right to vote; her adamancy of women being equally responsible citizens eventually lead to women’s suffrage in the United kingdom.  Our very own Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy alienated from the cliché topics of audience’s interest and shed light on honour killings in Pakistan, bravely using her skill as a weapon to reach mass audience. These women did not wait for the masculine hand on their shoulder telling that yes you can do it; they did it and showed the world how women can become impetus of change.

Along with the enfranchisement of American women in 1920, American society had also realized that attainment of American dream was not possible without women being on board. We as a society have failed to recognize and accept the importance of women in nation building; for us gender equality is still limited to women having a well-paid 9-5 job in a male dominated society. This is exactly why our women have confined their horizons of growth to merely fetching a job and have stopped dreaming; as for dreamers failure is the part of the game. Be it the early up bringing or education system, girls are left with few options to choose from, preventing them from exploring their strengths. Not only does it deprive an individual from excelling but it also keeps Pakistan from having half of its population equally efficient and contributive.

Even we as women never fail to put the blame on cultural obligations, not realizing that when have we ourselves chosen to take the risk of leading a purpose or giving up our so called secure job to follow our dream to be a scientist, a painter, a writer or a swimmer. 70 years ago, Fatima Ali Jinnah had walked beside Quaid-e-Azam through each road of adversity during independence movement, setting an example that women are much more than backbiting and house making.

The responsibility of making the second wheel of nation’s vehicle equally functioning as the first rests on both the women and the society. Parents, teachers and mentors need to remind girls it is okay to fail, but it is not okay to not even try and to give up after failing once. Boys are told to jump higher, to not cry and to follow their dreams endlessly but our girls are constantly guided to follow the mantra of ‘being thankful’ for what u have gotten. Yes, gratitude is the right attitude but one must at least try till the last breadth.  Additionally, we as women need to encourage one another; next time when you see a struggling woman give her a hand of help or give her a tip to success if not more. Let’s climb up together!

The writer is graduate of Lahore College of  Women University,Lahore. She is women rights activist.