Daily Times

Despite the intellectual agreement on the importance of women’s role in society, one does not see them at an elevated position in Pakistan.

Many still believe the main role of women in our society is to give birth to our next generation and cherish it. Anything beyond that is considered too radical, at least in many rural societies. Despite this nation’s obsession with childbearing, no one seems to care for the child bearer.

An international organisation, UNFPA, stated in its “State of the World Population Report 2017,” that the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in Pakistan was 127 deaths per 100,000 live-births. This is just a statistic to be reported in newspapers and discussed in policy circles. But, in reality, innocent women are dying while giving birth; so many children would grow old without a mother, and so many husbands would move on and remarry just to put a bunch of other women at the same risk. so many children would grow old without a mother, and so many husbands would move on and remarry just to put a bunch of other women at the same risk. A year when people are discussing plans to inhabit Mars but in Pakistan, women are dying for issues that the world solved over fifty years ago.

This situation is a crisis and politicians and intellectuals are either unaware or indifferent towards it. There are hardly any organisations, with the exception of White Ribbon Alliance Pakistan (WRAP) working on this issue. WRAP recently conducted a campaign called “What Women Want?”

Therein, many women in rural areas demanded basic health facilities, which is quite shameful because these services are their fundamental human rights. There is no statistic to prove this, but many public health experts bear witness that the situation is worst in Larkana, which is a political centre for the party leading the Sindh Government. Other than HIV/AIDS and Climate Change, Larkana is ahead in MMR, but the government is MIA.

Women have been called a nation-building force by many intellectuals. In fact, former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said, “Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country”

One of the main reasons for this poor state of maternal health and the government’s lack of interest in it is the status of women in Pakistan. The role of women in this country, especially in rural societies, is limited to being a child bearer and unpaid domestic labour. From the day a girl is born, a tonne of taboos is associated with her marriage and fertility. She is seen as a liability that has to leave her father’s house, therefore, any investment in her health and education is seen as a waste of money. Pakistan is ranked second worst on the gender equality gap, and hence, we see that women in Pakistan are denied their basic human rights, which includes the right to health and life.

The illiteracy in rural areas is making the situation even worse for women. For instance, the disease of wasting in children–caused by micro nutrition-deficiency in a mother and her child–is believed to be caused by the shadow of a barren woman. This disease is irreversible, and it could only be prevented by taking care of the dietary needs of the pregnant lady and the newborn. However, these societies blame the barren women, who are already subject to social pressures and mental health issues, for this disease. Media reports show that a fake spiritual healer-news flash, a man- was responsible for spreading these stories. Such stories could have been made about men as well, but why target men when society genuinely sees women as something close to inanimate objects.

If one wants to improve the state of maternal health in Pakistan, one has to change taboos and stereotypes associated with gender. The role of a woman needs to be redefined. She must be seen, not only as a child bearer and domestic labour but also as a productive member of the family and society. There must be employment opportunities for rural women within their households. Making the women financially stable would not only empower them but also empower the family.

A financially stable woman would spend on the diet and education of her children, which would help fight health, education and poverty. This could be done by using microfinance to support the cottage industry.

Microfinancing schemes, which worked very successfully in Bangladesh in empowering females, are a good policy alternative. Such schemes could be employed to give small loans to females, and the provision of such loans could be incorporated in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). According to the World Bank, BISP has been effective in reducing poverty and has already improved the status of women in many parts of the country.

However, more needs to be done as a majority of women in this country are still financially dependent on their male counterparts, who are either unaware or indifferent to their health and other basic needs.

Furthermore, there is a need to mobilise the religious class to fight the misogynistic attitudes in rural societies. In our religion, women have been given respect, right to earn and inherit. She is seen as an educator and the basic support system of society. However, the colonial past and illiteracy have overshadowed the elevated status that Islam provides to women. The use of religious figures to fight misogyny and create awareness about maternal health would be more effective than any activism by doctors and feminists because these figures already command respect and following in the rural areas. People look up to them and see them as role models. Therefore, their participation is very important in any public policy process in these areas.

Therefore, their participation is very important in any public policy process in these areas. Doctors can work as agents of change by creating public health awareness in Pakistan.

Media can also play a positive role by doing more programmes on maternal health and celebrities can use their influence to fight misogyny. The responsibility not only lies on doctors, politicians and media figures but also on every Pakistani that wants to change and improve this country to take care of the health of women in their family. Women are half of the total population of this country, and if one half is under severe health risk, making Pakistan the next Asian Tiger would only remain a dream. Let’s work together to improve the health of women for a better Pakistan.

The writer is a freelancer