Women by Muhammad Husnain Khawar 2nd Year
For
as long as mankind has existed, human beings have lived in an entirely patriarchal
society. Where the norm for woman
was(and still is)to cook, clean and look pretty while doing it.The men of
society were content with sitting back and letting the women do all the menial tasks,
while they fancied themselves as deserving of adventure and power. That is why
the strong arm of society is composed of men while women remain shut up in
their homes, yearning for a chance to break their shackles one day.
And
break them they did. History is littered with examples of women taking up the
mantle and having their way. To mention a few, the birth of the Amazons in Ancient
Greek culture was one big game-changer in their society. Women forged for
themselves a society in which they could have all the freedom they desired,
without looking towards a man for help, or having to look over their shoulders
for one. Another big example is the role of women in Islamic society, where
religion gave them the freedom which mankind would not. Women could proudly
stand shoulder to shoulder with men in every field, from science to war. But sadly,
misinterpretations have led to diminishing awareness of how things once were.
These days, the main champion of women’s rights and women’s problems is “Feminism”,
an addictive concept which is working wonders for women in developed societies.
The
plight of a Pakistani woman is often understated, but it is an underlying
phenomenon which affects society at the grass-root level. Women in Pakistan
live much like in olden times, surrounded by four walls and dominated by males.
They have few opportunities, if any, and those lucky enough to get an education
are unable to break the gender stereotypes around them because of their small numbers.
It is in the interest of our patriarchal society to keep women dumb and
illiterate so that their might remains unchallenged. This has led to the
obvious detriment of women and future generations of man.But there is still
hope on the horizon.
Slowly,
women have recognized the highly important role they play in society and have
banded together to educate their fellows on their untapped potential. More and
more women have started demanding their basic rights and equal opportunities in
education and the work-force. Women have already proved themselves highly
capable of leadership (Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady) and slowly their
influence has spread through the highest levels of society, at least in
developed countries. The developing countries have been slow to mimic this
change but women here are still optimistic about the future.
Thanks
to various NGO’s and Women’s social groups, the women of Pakistan have gained a
firm foothold in society. They are slowly becoming a substantial part of the
work-force and already out-strip men in terms of strength in numbers.Still,the
men hold all the cards and are not afraid to show their hand when the need
suits them. The women will need to work hard to break pre-conditioned concepts
if they want their rights and freedom which have been denied to them for years.
In
conclusion, the importance of women is highlighted in this gender-biased quote:
“Behind every successful man is a woman.”
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