Pakistan has been on the crossroads of its social, political and economic destiny since the day. It remains trapped in the quagmire of economic stagnation, crumbling public faith on state institutions, deplorable situation of law and order, political tumult, sex-based violence, low participation of women in political and economic sphere, illiteracy, quota system, sexual apartheid, deprivation of their fundamental rights and androcentric mentality because of cultural relativistic approach. All these aforementioned knotty issues have thriven the country into gender inequality by creating social, economic, political and legal impediments in the way of women empowerment.
Social constructionism is a theory of gender studies which deals with gender-based roles and androcentric mental paradigms of society. According to the theory, men and women are naturally equal. However, the roles which are assigned to women in society are constructed on the base of social and cultural norms and values of the society. Male dominant society and women’s subordination before men are the by-products of societal norms and values. Gender is a social phenomenon that has nothing to do with sex. Sex is natural but gender is a social and cultural product.
In Pakistan, the population of women has increased 1% from the population consensus of 1998. According to the population consensus 2017, the total women population is about 106.7 million of the total population of the country, 207.8 million. But women have been sweltering in the heat of sex-based violence and gender inequality. According to the book “Pakistan A Hard Country” written by Anatol Lieven, Pakistan is a multi-diverse country with male-dominant culture, and people of the land are more committed to their cultural and traditional roots which pave the way of social, political and economic inequality for women. Thus, they are deprived of their basic and constitutional rights because of irrational cultural norms and practices.
Cultural relativism is another factor in inequality. People crush any sort of intellectual or political resistance against their culture, and they feel proud of their culture, according to the theory of ethics. In Pakistan, cultural relativistic values have spoiled not only the aims and objectives of three waves of feminism but also Islamic rights for women. People are more concerned about their cultural norms and values than religion or any intellectual grooming. They prefer culture than religion in their practical life. Their living pattern and gender-based roles are highly constructed on their culture with the lesser influence of religion, morality or international movements. These factors lead to female subordination in house-hold affairs. The inhuman, immoral and non-Islamic traditional practices of Waani, Karokari, marriage with Quran, honour killing and some others have been prevailed and still being practiced by people because of their cultural relativistic mentality. That is required to be changed following the exponential socio-political as well as economic changing dynamics of the post-modern world.
In order to mitigate the effects of cultural relativism, various types of feminism have given divergent dimensions. They endeavor to figure out the causes of women’s issues. According to radical feminism, Marxist feminism and socialist feminism, women are subordinated by men because of their economic dependency on their male partners. Women work at home. They give birth and bear up children, remain busy in house-hold works like washing clothes, ironing clothes, cleaning home and such other work from day tonight. All the work is unpaid. On the other hand, their partners are paid for their work. This inequality also aggravates violence and inequalities by less empowering women because of their economic dependency on men. By giving women, equal economic opportunities, their issues particularly violence can be eradicated. So, our government should take precautionary measures to provide equal economic opportunities for women to reduce their economic dependency on male relations. There must be a mechanism for house-wives who are to be paid for their house-hold work.
According to liberal feminism, women languish because state institutions and offices have a monopoly on men. Women’s participation in politics and offices is discouraged by men because of the fear of losing the monopoly. Lawmaking bodies and legislative assemblies are full of males. So, they legislate to empower men but not to women. This legal and political discrimination lead to women’s subordination indirectly. They cannot raise their issues on the national level to redress them. So, this discrimination invites women to subordination and inequality. From the 1st article to the 25th article, legal provision is given to the fundamental rights of all people of Pakistan without any discrimination, according to the constitution 1973. The government of the country is less concerned to exercise the provisions practically. This negligence empowers males who are already in power, and women roles are limited in the legal and legislative sphere. So, legal provision to women rights, strict punishments on inhuman and unethical cultural practices and escalating women’s participation in political discourse can play a constructive role to empower women in the country.
Certain steps by the state are required to address the challenges which are constraints in the way of women empowerment. Women must be provided with fair and equal economic opportunities. Their rights must be granted legality. There must be a comprehensive mechanism to pay women of their household work. Women’s economic dependency on male relations should be reduced by providing them easy access to jobs. Women’s participation in politics and other state institutions must be encouraged by the state. Even, women’s quota system in CSS, PMS, legislative bodies and other competitive exams seems to aggravate inequality as it stops much women participation. Intersectionality must be prevailed in the relation of men and women to improve women’s status in the country.
The writer is a feminist, human rights activist and legal researcher. He can be reached at [email protected]