World of 21st century, according to the perception of a third world country, is in absolute crisis. The crisis; holding its roots deep from the ancestry of inhabitants, has been transmitted to the current generation because of illiteracy. Counting down the miseries from basic necessities of life like: lacking water to drink, food to eat, house to survive and cloth to cover till the miseries of professional world as lacking job-opportunities, inefficient system of accountability in public offices, incompetency of youth towards meeting local markets’ demands and the unfair system of state’s law and order, have captivated individuals to fall aprey to numerous psycho-social dysfunctionings. Statistics identify that a Pakistani lay-man struggles throughout his life in order to win bread barely on daily basis. Above all, the hypocrisy of patriarchy in this post-modern, South Asian civilization adds fuel to the fire when 65% of its population comprising of women gets directed to sit spare at home and not to go beyond the four walls of houses to earn their living. Due to biased expected social-roles for women in this patriarchic society, the so-called men here elbow-greases alone to earn for the whole extended family and whole world is blamed of a systematic failure.
This system which is submissive and is lame enough in its own existence; is set free to hunt specifically the females, surprisingly by the mighty-responsible citizens of this society to decay and eradicate social norms plus values, and blame the evolving educated world, around the globe for their own failure. How long would the women be only criticized to bring misery and misfortune? How long would they be hurdled by their own kith and kin, to open-up and win laurels for their own living? Why is it the women who must sacrifice her skills and abilities in the name of this culture to manage a stable living? And which religious scripture, social-commandment or psychological theory dictates women to behave like a dumb-driven cattle in the name of miserable outdated customs?
This pathetic, patriarchal system has not only brought crisis to our societal lives; but, it has been engulfing our communal lives by silently killing the both unstrung and unsung super-heroes living within us. Women, who are at higher risk of getting disadvantaged from a system like this are, regardless of all against odds never stopped giving tough competition to men, working day and night to prove their worth and giving the best-efficient of their abilities. Being the true warriors of illiterate patriarchal societies, they learn to fight wars i.e. psychological, biological and socio-behavioral from a very tiny age in order to survive in this system. Little girls, realizing parents taking pride on their son’s first fight is when she is taught to become inexpressive, shy coward and polite. When parents appreciate their sons to eat more, and tell daughters to eat less; suggesting them to look after their physical appearances and overall body-shape is the instant they land them to complexes of body-shaming and inferiorities highlighting their low self-images. When parents acknowledge their son’s outdoor activities while discourage their daughter’s leaving four walls of houses is the time, they tame their daughters to fall prey to psycho-social disorders. And become victim of all social dogmas, and atrocities which of course are none of her making but still neither would you play a positive role in making her life better nor would you let her live a life of comfort. How incredible and brutal is the system of patriarchy for a third world country!
This society, being so brutal to the innocent angelic-minds deteriorate the self-esteem of girls where on the other hand it blindly appreciates boys boosting their self-esteems reaching at a level of Id, encouraging them to commits misdeeds and remain socially- accepted. The great Psycho-analytic psychologist, Sigmund Freud declared first 3-5 years of a child, very crucial in setting behavioral patterns throughout life. When the care-free habits of little boys are not filtered while of little girls’ are criticized even before any activity gets carried out, is exactly the moment when parents and other-members including teachers, relatives, friends and patriarchal dominants of this double-standard society, practically demonstrate the whole patriarchic game before that very sweet-heart. And that is how we domesticate our daughters, to become patriarchal wives to be blackmailed by their husbands, sisters to be used by their brothers and mothers to bear every act of absolute non-sense from their sons, merely in the name of this lame and outdated patriarchal system.
The global politics really need to pay heed to help third-world countries come right out of this lethal plague, otherwise the world would face a female crisis going in the debts of illiteracy and miseries in multitudes of crisis.
The writer is a student of Applied Psychologist (at Punjab University Lahore), author, humanitarian, performing- artist and social activist.