Daily Times

Throughout history, women in society have ensured the stability, progress, and long-term development of nations. Women are the primary caretakers of children and elders. Many studies indicate that when the economy and political organization of a society changes, women take the lead in helping the families adjust to new realities and challenges.

The primary responsibility of women, in general, is to preserve the human race. Napoleon once said: “Give me good mothers, and I will give you a good nation.” The progress of the nation depends upon the way the mothers bring up their children.  As a result, women have always played an essential role in the development of a nation.

The contribution of women to a society’s transition from pre-literate to literate is undeniable. As is well-known, primary education is a key to a nation’s development as it improves productivity, enhances the status of girls and women, reduces population growth rate, enhances environmental protection, and raises the standard of living. Mothers are the ones who most often urge children to attend and stay in school.  Women play an important role in society’s future by developing the most critical asset of the nation: children.

The slogan of International Women’s Day 2019, “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change,” signifies innovative ways that advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and recognizes the crucial role they play in the improvement of society. Unfortunately, women’s roles and their contributions are still not as recognized as those of men. Regardless, the historical and current roles of women are indisputable. That is, if and when women are empowered, and their rights and access to land, leadership, and opportunities for business and choices are recognized, economies will grow, and a decent society will develop, and current, and future generations will have more opportunities.

Women have been suppressed for so long that their natural feeling of lesser self-worth is all too common (Hogue, 2003). That is, the ascribed status of a woman is that she is not as good as a man. Men have internalized their normatively higher social position and are unwilling to forego the privilege of high reward that accompanies that position when their privilege is openly threatened (Hogue and Yoder 2003).

The gender stereotypes we know today were not always present in the past; they are relatively new trends in human society.

An article on APA-PsycNet.com  states, “General differences between the behaviors of the genders are the result of the social roles they were placed in.” That is, gender roles were not invented, but were developed over time, and that they cannot work as generalized distinctions. Many traditional gender roles were based on the idea that parental duties should not overlap but should be separate. As economic conditions changed, people settled down into stationary lifestyles. Thus, roles were delineated and became normal.

Thus, roles were not necessarily based on gender, but rather they were based on societal needs. Because needs remained relatively the same, they became traditional roles that men and women needed to fulfill. This demonstrates how gender roles were created based on the needs of society and not on gender. Today, the majority of professional jobs, such as a lawyer, doctor, politician, business executive, educator, etc., can be performed by any gender.

In addition, it is a common misconception that “gender” and “sex” mean the same thing, but they do not. Lorber describes how the “gender” of a person is a “social phenomenon” and that being a man or woman is different from being a female or male. Kate Gilles states that “Sex is an anatomical term, used to describe the physical characteristics of a person, while gender is a generalization of how men and women should look and behave in society.” These facts show the apparent differences between sex and gender. That is, sex is anatomical, while gender is social and psychological. Therefore, gender should not be confined to the sex of an individual because gender is not actually a biological occurrence.

However, some still do not accept gender equality.  Debate.org states that some people believe that gender-specific expectations are necessary because each gender has jobs they fulfill in society; they “are necessary for society to function naturally.” Others believe that gender roles can never be abolished because of the biological differences between men and women and that traditional gender behaviors are simply “in our nature.” Unfortunately, conservatives believe that “girls act girly because it is innate, and that gender programming [by society] has nothing to do with it.” As a result, many people erroneously believe that women should do domestic work as well as other “feminine” things because it is natural to them. They still are unable to differentiate between physical vs. social/psychological differences. In addition, many people base their opinions on gender roles on the belief that their religion, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism, has specified these roles.

Gender roles are influenced by social beliefs and generalizations that have been in use for centuries. Similar to the description “tomboy,” many people go by other descriptions, such as gender fluid, omni-gender, bi-gender, and other gender classifications. Joy Nash (2106) states that “Genders and gender roles are not clear-cut categories that can be applied to everyone in society. This can lead people to believe that those who do not fit neatly into the set gender roles might be flawed somehow, which can result in problems like discrimination or mistreatment. Instead, gender should be thought of as behaviors and personal identifications that exist along a spectrum.”

A study by many researchers (e.g., Muller, 2011) of the perceptions of men and women in the present, past and future in Spain found that participants perceived women of the present as more masculine than women of the past, and they expected women of the future to be more masculine than women of the present, especially in positive personality and cognitive attributes. Over time, traditional male and female roles have slowly changed or disappeared. That is, women’s roles have has gone from just being homemakers to being heads of the household. This proves that women can assume leadership and perform effectively as leaders. There is no such thing as masculine or feminine in most cases. The gender role has changed so much that it is becoming hard to differentiate, which is which. This change has taken generations and will continue to slowly but surely end inequality among genders.

The Online Learning Center explains that the process by which children “acquire the values, motives, and behaviors viewed as appropriate for males and females within a culture is called gender typing. Children develop gender-based beliefs, largely because of gender stereotypes; the latter is reflected in gender roles. Children adopt a gender identity early in life and develop gender-role preferences as well.” The website also explains how the gender identity of a child is a form of expression, differs based on their preferences, and should not be forcefully influenced because it can negatively affect a child later in their psychological, emotional, and social development. This shows that gender roles are influenced by society, but should be based on the preferences of the individual. This way, people would not be pressured to conform to societal standards, allowing them to express themselves more freely and preventing them from feeling as though something is wrong with them.

In many countries, men hold wealth and power positions. In a study by Heilman (2004), who looked at how women were valued in traditionally male-dominated jobs, the credit that women received on joint tasks with their male counterparts was evaluated. Heilman found that women were systematically devalued compared to their male co-workers.  He also found ambiguity about individual contributions between men and women working in a successful mixed-sex pair; females received negative evaluation as a team member in competence and assessments of likely influence and leadership qualities, while men were systematically favored. However, when gender was not identified, women and men received an equal evaluation, and, in some cases, women were evaluated slightly higher than men. An increase in the number of women in higher positions may reduce bias and prejudice in the workplace. Given the way things have been progressing, in the next few years, women will likely take over higher power positions, thus proving their inherent capability of better decision-making.

The data given by Globalvolunteers.org strongly supports this trend. It states that “Globally, women comprise 43 percent of the world’s agricultural labor force – rising to 70 percent in some countries. For instance, across Africa, 80 percent of the agricultural production comes from small farmers, most of whom are rural women. It is widely accepted that agriculture can be the engine of growth and poverty reduction in developing nations. Women, notably mothers, play the largest role in decision-making about family meal planning and diet. Women often provide their initiative in preserving child health and nutrition.”

In past decades, many changes have been made to end inequality between men and women. Currently, women are the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S history. In 1970, 41 percent of women worked compared to 54.3 percent in 1990 and 55.4 percent in 2018. Further, they now hold many managerial positions, and more women than men have college degrees (for every two men, three women, according to Rosin, 2012). Sadly, men still hold the majority of higher managerial positions.

However, “the rise of women has resulted in the fall of men in the workforce, creating a strain on male confidence; thus, it has turned traditional family roles upside down” (Rosin 2012). Unfortunately, a significant wage gap also still exists. A study by Mary Hogue (2013) found that the wage gap was the result of psychological attitude, including women’s beliefs about their relatively lower worth and their ‘depressed’ entitlement, reflecting their lower social status. Women have been oppressed for so long that this natural feeling of lesser self-worth and expectation that they must work for men is all too common. However, when women’s status is raised, their wage entitlement rises as well, according to Hogue and Yoder (2003).

The census shows that, in Pakistan, men outnumber women (51 percent men and 49 percent women). To demonstrate its commitment to women’s equality, Pakistan has adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Additional commitments are made with a National Policy for Development and Empowerment of Women, Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, Criminal Law (Amendment) (Offences in the name or pretext of Honour) Act, Criminal Law (Amendment) (Offences Relating to Rape) and a National Plan of Action on Human Rights. Local commitments adopted include Gender Equality Policy Frameworks and Women’s Empowerment Packages and Initiatives.

However, attitudes towards women have not changed in Pakistan and are not likely to change in the near future. For example, the slogan of the International Women’s Day march in 2018 “my body, my choice” resulted in the accusation that marchers were promoting Western, liberal values contrary to religion and culture. A lawyer who filed a case to block the march accused the marchers of being funded by anti-state parties to cause anarchy in society. The resistance to the changing role of women is so extreme that an organizer received a death threat, her car was fired upon, her home was ransacked, and some valuables were stolen. Because of this intimidation, even Amnesty International issued a statement that “horrific threats of violence, bullying, and harassment of the marchers must stop.”

Sadly, a news item in Daily Times (Mar 2019) reported that “Much of Pakistan’s society operates under a strict code of honour that ‘systemizes the oppression of women’s choice of marriage, education, and reproductive rights.'” Pakistan is ranked 136 (out of 180) on the U.N. Development Program’s Gender Inequality Index, worst than most of the South Asian countries.

On March 7, 2019 (the day before the International Women’s Day 2019 March), a Pakistani male insulted a female activist with vulgar language not worthy of live national broadcast. It seems that some men cannot accept the idea that women can be their equal or better than them. Some of them dread to admit the fact that women can do better than they can, and maybe more intelligent than they are, and they have to work under them. Some of them are too macho to admit that women are capable of doing anything a man can do or maybe even better. Instead of arguing with logical facts, some Pakistanis resort to insults to intimidate the opponents. Just like Donald Trump, a macho and a misogynist, who cannot accept that a woman is better than he is. Further, being mentally challenged, he uses insults to intimidate people. Sadly, some Pakistanis, in addition to being misogynists, use religion and culture to support their ignorance.

A Pakistani writer has stated that the academic institution has failed to create a genuine space for feminist discourse to thrive. The social conditioning of students is so intense that logical reasoning will not change their minds. Obviously, this attitude is due to the machoism of some Pakistani males who could never accept a female as co-equal, let alone superior.

Unfortunately, this macho attitude is common among all men; but I think women are somewhat responsible for this attitude. Women are nurturers in society, and children listen to them more than they listen to their fathers; therefore, women can easily instill an attitude that women are human beings capable of doing what they want to do. As such, they deserve better treatment from everyone in society. If children acquire this attitude at an early age, they will not mistreat women.

Pakistan, an Islamic country, should follow God and his messenger, Prophet Mohammad (PBOH). Islam gives an equal role to women and men. Iupui.edu writes that “The status of women as defined in Islam [is] as a mother and it is said that Paradise lies under her feet.'” It also writes that the Prophet was asked by a man: ‘Who is the one most worthy of my care?’. The Prophet replied: ‘Your mother.’ The man asked again: ‘Then whom?’ ‘Your mother.’  The Prophet gave the same answer to the same question three times. This shows that Allah has placed the care of the mother as a primary responsibility of her sons. The Prophet also says, “Women are the (equal) sisters of men” (Surat Al-Shura, 42; ayah 49).

Women make up half of society, and they are responsible for the nurturing, guidance, and reformation of the subsequent generations of men and women. It is the female who imbues principles and faith into the souls of the nation.

Svelate.org provides a crucial, unequivocal verse in the Qur’an that lays the ground for the concept of equality between men and women: “The believers, men, and women are allies (awliya) of one another. They enjoin the ‘common good’ (al ma’ruf) and forbid the bad (al munkar), they observe prayers (salat) and give charitable alms (zakat) and obey God and his Prophet”(Qur’an, 9:71). Munkar refers to all that is rejected by all members of a given society, a set of morally unacceptable practices.  Svelate.org states that “It is quite surprising to note that some very explicit verses such as this, which exhort equality between men and women, have been marginalized in Islamic thought; they are rarely cited and are even at times completely overlooked in favor of other verses that are more difficult to interpret or whose application was contingent on the time of revelation.”

Mohammed  Fadlallah, the Lebanese scholar, in his interpretation of this verse, speaks “of a ‘coalition’ between men and women in ‘faith,’ a ‘wilayat iman.'” He also states “That this verse reaffirms the egalitarian vision of the Qur’an, which encourages women to be involved in all areas of social and political life, in contrast to the traditional exclusivist understanding that tends to reduce women to their function as wives and mothers, a role that, while important, cannot constitute their unique horizon in life.”

Qari Asim has stated that “I am often asked about women’s role in Islam. The Quran regards men and women as equals in the sight of God. Islam grants women, as it does men, fundamental rights to life, property, and opinion, and has done so for more than 14 centuries. However, it cannot be denied that despite this, they have had to fight for equality every step of the way. Men have sought control over their finances, opinions, and fundamental rights to life, but ‘Time’s Up’ on those controls; it’s time for a cultural shift.” Qari Asim further stated that “I will never fully understand the fight that women experience daily. I do, however, recognize that fight and see suffering in society as well as in the Muslim community that I know needs to be stopped… it’s time for women to be treated equally and with dignity.” He has said that “Sadly, we have seen some sickening instances in the news of some British Muslims disproportionately involved in the localized grooming of vulnerable girls. Their actions are as horrifying as those exploiting my religion in their fight for ISIS. None of these actions represent Islam, and they do not represent our communities or society. Any regressive demands – whether it is forced marriage, honour killing, or social and economic exclusion – voiced in the name of Islam must not be tolerated.”

He has further emphasized that “The message I have for the men in my congregation on International Women’s Day should start by thanking the women in your life for the sacrifices they have made – big or small – and take time to recognize what it must be like to be a woman around the world. Women in our communities, whether at work or in a mosque, must be valued and welcomed. Muslim women are increasingly confronting inequalities and discrimination. A woman’s strength should be celebrated and supported – not abused or silenced.”

There are many other examples where Islamic Scholars consider men and women as equal and encourage all Muslims to show respect towards women and accept the fact women are as good as men and maybe better than some. Therefore, for men to consider women as inferior and only fit as housewives and nothing else is unsupported by facts and research. It is about time to accept them as humans who are as capable as men or probably better than men.

Unfortunately, Pakistanis cannot apprehend that there have been Muslim women in leadership. For example, in the contemporary era, women have again assumed leadership roles in the Muslim world, e.g., Benazir Bhutto was prime minister of Pakistan (1988 – 90, 1993 – 96), Tansu çiller was prime minister of Turkey (1993 – 96), and Shaykh Hasina is the current prime minister of Bangladesh (1996 –). These examples of leadership prove that women do become leaders and can function in leadership positions.

The writer is Ph.D. (USA), Professor Emeritus (USA)