Gender equality myth or reality

Introduction:

"If a man smoks, it affects his lungs and health But If a women smokes, it affects her morality and character"

at birth, girl child and boy child is given differential treatment. Color of clothes, toys, language and interests of child are socialised depending upon its gender.

holistic view of global system dictate that women are subjected to exploitation in field of economics, politics, social and educational sphere of life.

society is harsh upon women. Acid throwing, honor killing, domestic violence and prioritizing needs of male child over female child is common in Pakistan.

Material culture is advancement of technology and tools of economy in society. i. e. Social media, information technology, communication hardware advances faster in face of non-material culture. Non material culture relates to customs, norms and values of society. eg right to own a business, right to love marriages, right to pursue to a career of choice etc.

women once observe the global culture through social media and non material culture hinders those women to adopt globalized culture at home, results in friction, contention and conflicts in roles of men and women in society.

Exploitations and violence against women go unreported as society claims that it brings bad name to family.

Women are forced into early marriages which result in dependence of women upon their husbands. This dependence over the period of time turn into violence. She becomes bound in unhealthy relationship dictated by male owner of house.

Women, especially, in villages are uneducated and dependent upon their husbands. Man works from 8am to 5pm but women's work never end.

Men get paid for their labor. Labor unions and govt fix their pays but women's labor is free of cost. Government ensures rights of workers in public sphere of life but private sphere of life is dictated by heads of family. Women are at mercy of head of family-usually a male-.

women can work in limited areas i.e. Nursing, Teaching, Banking sectors. She is totally excluded from mining, mechanical, civil, electrical, geogology industries. While men can encroach in fields of women and have exclusive monopoly over gender specific professions.

educated and working women in city areas are paid less and discouraged in employment. Women are discouraged by employers on basis of their physical biology of menstruation , pregnancy period, period after child birth and care of sick child especially in its early life. All these result in leaves from their jobs.

-Media shapes the public perception and opinion of people. social control institutions of religion, society and family float their accepted ideas and norms through media.

media depicts and strengthen the stereotypical roles of women in society. It portrays those fixed roles through advertisements, movies and dramas.

Media represents defined standards of beauty. Heroines are depicted as dependent upon heroes. Standards are beauty are defined as lean, slim bodies and acceptable color of skin is floated through media.

Election act 2017 allocates quota of women in national, provincial assembly and senate of pakistan. Quota system itself approves the dictum that gender equality is a myth.

Women rights are not part of any political agenda compaigns. women as candidates in political sphere can not canvass as freely as men can do. There is no agenda of any political party related to problems of women. Women of Privileged backgrounds become part of poltical life who are deranged from original issues of women on ground level. Political Parties are bound to issues 5% of representation to women as per election act of 2017, but parties issue seat tickets to women in areas where party position is weak.

women as voters dont go to polling stations to cast votes. 41/1045 seats were only won by women in all provincial and national assembly seats.

Mukhtaran Mai was paraded naked in streets after her gang rape. Jirga announced its decisions about affairs of Mukharan brother with girl of Mastoi tribe. Despite the presence of law enforcement agencies(police, judiciary), jirga was made supreme authority without thorough investigation. Judicial System and police system appeared dysfunctional and system of biased jirga favored the stronger clan in face of weaker segments of society.

Malala Yousafzai was shot in the face. Her only crime was to pursue educational pursuits in area where local warlords had shown displeasure towards the education of women. State of Pakistan could not ensure fair educational opportunies to girls.

Sidra, in okara, was shot dead by her brother because she wanted to pursue career in modelling. Social and familial pressures resulted in death of girl to restore honor of that family in eyes of society. She was not warned or advised to comply with social norms but was directly killed to restore honor of family.

Several cases of such sort can be mentioned where women were controlled and punished over trivial matters. Though Pakistan is changing but behaviors and attitudes of masses must be modeled to provide equal rights and opportunities to suppressed class of women.

Technology is gender neutral. Computer doesnt care about gender of user but executes tasks of its users irrespective of gender. Daraz, Food Panda, and e-commerce has introduced ways for women to become independent economically remaining within acceptable norms of society.

Society adjusts itself with passage of time to new trends. Women are being inducted to armed forces, working outside their home cities etc. Such trends were not acceptable in near past by society but society has now adjusted itself to new normal.

Soon, technology will cross the physical strength barriers of weakness of females through automation and modern machinery. Women equality will be reality in near future due to globalization of ideas and advent of modern technologies.

"No woman is born woman but society makes one"