The debut of the Pakistani team at the Asian Women’s Rugby Sevens in Laos augurs well for the future of female gender’s participation in sports. The world of sports is considered a no-go area for women in Pakistan as they are still struggling to make their mark and get due recognition of their talents. Besides facing rivals, woman athletes in Pakistan tackle additional challenges like cultural barriers, gender discrimination and religious bigotry in pursuit of their ambition of becoming players of international repute.
In Pakistan, women’s involvement in sports is strongly mediated by socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Based crudely on a gender duality in which sport is valued as a masculine activity, women are not encouraged to take part in any sports activity. All exultation is reserved for men in this male-dominated society. Though a number of female players in different games have shown their mettle, yet they remain unrecognised and unrewarded. In such a scenario, if a women’s team features in an international event, it is no mean feat. The joy of participation in an international even was aptly described by Pakistan rugby player Mehru Khan, who said that it’s a huge deal for everyone that the women are playing rugby. Reportedly, in a country of more than 200 million people, where women are believed to be half of its population, only men’s cricket gets recognition. Cultural barriers make it difficult for sportswomen to get due encouragement to take up either team or individual sport — especially contact sports like rugby. In Pakistan, opting for a sport like rugby, this is like out of the mould for our society. Still there is no dearth of talent in the country. In the rugby event, Pakistan finished above Nepal in the seven-team Rugby competition in Laos, which also featured winners South Korea, India, Malaysia, Philippines and Laos. Meanwhile, Pakistan women cricket team has managed to qualify for the ICC Women’s World Cup in England.
These are encouraging developments and all Pakistani women should feel proud of these achievements. Already, women are not treated equally in Pakistan. Males are given priority over females in a country where females are more in number. The government should introduce laws that prohibit gender discrimination and offer remedies for such behaviour in the field of sports and other sectors. The society in general needs to change its perception about women’s participation in sports. At individual level, everyone needs to support female athletes so that they could play their role in projecting a positive image of the country abroad. *