Pakistan as a society remains male dominated, whereas women constitute 49% of the population. Women continue to suffer because of stereotypes, and strict society norms. The day a girl is born her decisions are already made for her. Not only successive governments have failed to protect women, many laws also work against them. The culprits involved in women’s oppression take benefit of such legislation. After the independence of Pakistan, women’s groups and feminist organisations formed by prominent leaders like Fatima Jinnah worked to eliminate socio-economic injustices against women in the country.

Before 1820s in the pre-industrial revolution era, the families were considered to be the unit of production where everyone, from husband to wife, was involved, meaning females of the household also worked. During the industrial revolution, the males went out to work in the factories while the women stayed at home to take care of their families and took on the role of housewives. Up until World War 1, females were pushed to take family-oriented roles. From World War 1 onwards, women began to return to employment as their legal rights were also increasing. In our part of the world women continued to be house makers until 20th century. The sight of a female working was rare and not acceptable religiously, culturally and socially.

As the wheels of time moved, it became more acceptable by the society to have women working side by side their men. The major reason for this change was the way girls were brought up. The society became more aware of the fact that females can contribute positively. Various legislations were passed by governments across the globe to augment this inclusion. The equal pay act 1970 of the UK and Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 of the UK laid the foundation of legal protection for females in workplaces. Very important matters of maternity leave and maternity pay were brought to table and tackled, as female workers would suffer loss of income during those break months.

Pakistan from its inception saw women standing side by side the founding fathers, like Madr-e-Millat Fatimah Jinnah, stood by the Quaid-e-Azam. She along with many great female leaders of Pakistan became a role model for women. She contested elections in 1958 although lost but it did lay the foundation of females coming out of their homes and joining mainstream politics in Pakistan. Then came the day when Pakistan swore in the first female prime minister of the Muslim world. Benazir Bhutto became the 11th prime minister of Pakistan and served two terms. Women in Pakistan have joined the armed forces, become pilots, doctors, engineers and excelled in every field of life. It was a proud moment for our country when Nobel Prize was awarded to Malala Yousafzai, a girl who fought for education. Sima Kamal was appointed first woman chief executive officer of UBL. The list goes on as we enter the next phase of renaissance.

Female education remains an area of concern and does require focus as it would not be possible to ensure women’s development without this. Pakistan spends far less on education than is recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in its guidelines on education. With these constraints, boys are preferred for educational opportunities to girls. Whereas, if we see the academic results, top performing students are usually girls. Many families express concern about the quality of education being imparted at government schools, thus say it is so poor that there is no point in even sending girls to school. Pakistan has to fix the education system and ensure that girls have access to quality education and safe environment.

With all the positive steps in the right direction, still a lot needs to be done to ensure that female empowerment is sustained in decades to come. Fortunately, all political parties in Pakistan value the role of women, and they recognize this as a pressing issue. Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah rightly said: “There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.” To invest more in the third power would ensure that Pakistan moves fast in the right direction. Nothing can stop us from being a stable, prosperous country if we are ready to make this wise investment.