GENDER AND CONFLICTING VALUES IN PAKISTAN

The socially constructed characteristics of women and man refer to genders such as norms, values, roles and relationships of and between groups of women and man. But here I also want to mention transgender because there are three genders. It varies from society to society and can be changed and developed. Pakistan is a male dominant country which results mostly to cause the less opportunities and authority of decision making for women and transgender. There are a lot of changed values and norms that varies from society to society although it is a Muslim country but still the norms and ethical values differ a lot

There are two main objectives for genders. First objective seeks to identify categories and expend dialogue on gender oriented issues as, the chronic issues and emerging issues. These issues extensively relied on existing literature on gender, which takes into account the problems of gender inequality in Pakistan. Secondly the country gender profile aims at enhancing understand in respect of gender gaps in Pakistan and to offer a frame work for enhancing the efficiency in cooperation agency efforts to support gender mainstream in the country.

Public administration refers to state funding, including agencies, services and management and implementation of laws and rules in state. In many countries, public institutions give more importance to males rather than female’s. they appreciate patriarchal system in their working places. In Pakistan due to unequal participation of women in decision making institutions or the working institutions that affect families, economy of country, societies and the global world. The decision of gender is not about women but on power relations between men and women their access to decision making. After all of the hurdles when a woman is going to a work place she has to face discrimination in power and salaries, inappropriate attitude of male worker and then harassment and abuse.

Gender conflict are roles between men and women and the way they're treated in everyday living. An example of gender conflict in Pakistan would be our women allowed to drive or not? Are women allowed to enter a business contract without gaining consent from a father, spouse, brother, somebody whom has ownership of the women. Women are considered property of a person and they aren't considered their own self-identity. Women don't have self-ownership of themselves as they need to realize permission for nearly anything to strive to try to, but it varies from culture to culture. In Pakistan gender conflict arises in friendship, companionship, and other forms of social relations. Men have more freedom than women in various sorts of social, professional, and private choices.

The writer in our country have been taking such a keen interest in women development so their own mental nourishment is postponed. The first novel in Urdu literature was “Marat ul Uroos” written by Deputy Nazir Ahmed. This novel was written on the point that how a woman should behave. And unfortunately in Urdu literature a woman is always portrayed in certain ways as a second gender who is not strong and house hold chores is all she can to do. And we are not being able to eliminate these stigmas against women after more the century because they are enrooted in our system. So women are taking inspiration from the thing and then applying them on their selves and then the same essence can be felt in the writings of women writers like Umera Ahmed, Bano Qudsia and Nimra Ahmed.

According to world ranking of IOG Pakistan is on 148 number out of 149. This discriminatory attitude rises before their birth and is the cause of above 40% abortions in 2nd trimester of pregnancies. So it’s not just discrimination but also the hate of society that a women have to face. Now if come toward the education of a women then literacy rate is very low. Some awareness came in main cities but the villages and backward areas she is just treated as a servant and an incubator for child birth. Poverty also plays an important role. Due to lack of resources parents can’t afford to teach all their kids so priority is always given to male students. Co-education is also a taboo and we don’t have enough separate schools in Pakistan to accommodate girls and governments are not taking any action regarding this issue.

Above 50% population of Pakistan is of female genders and when we see their number at the highest place of decision making, unfortunately results are shameful. There are very few members who came as election process other are just show pieces on reserved seats. It is the mentality of society which prevent a woman to come in such fields and if they try to access the legislative counsel’s then an unstoppable crime of personal victimization and bullying starts against her.

Now there is a long list of oppression on women starting from when it is certain that a girl is going to born and opting abortion to kill her in the mother womb to not giving her education and then violence against women including rape, Honor killings, Acid attacks, Domestic violence and Forced marriage, child marriage, no inheritance, marriage for settling disputes, no political right remain serious problems in Pakistan. Women is just the incubator for making children and doing house hold chores.

If we talk about transgender then their condition is worse than women. They are people disowned by their own parents. They have no rights. And they are mostly molested and sexually abused in the hand of society. Even talking about gender we never mention them. In all the official form there are just two options option of gender; male and female. There is no option for them even making and national identity card it always take also of time to mention them as transgender. Few years back it was either male or female on their ID cards. Society never excepted them so their basic human rights was never remaining an issue.

In recent case we can see huge violation of rights in the case of Qandeel Baloch we see that first of all she was the victim of domestic abuse and then she was victim of honor killing. In case of Mukhtara Mai the woman was raped in front of whole Panchayat on the order of a land lord. Zainab rape/murder case was the example that how we sexualise a woman as a sexual entity that now rape of little girls are on the peak. In Sindh a man killed his wife because she cannot make a round bread. We didn’t believe on the allegation of Gulali Ismail against Imran Khan because she was a woman. In our national assembly’s we called a woman “tractor trali”. even when a women get divorced then if she has a girl then she will leave house with her but if she has sons then man will take them. This society even can’t bear a small march organised for bringing woman rights to mainstream.

In the end I can just say that freedom of a woman is not possible until she stands for her own rights because this conflict is very old and if we leave it unresolved then we will not be solving it ever. Government should legislate for women and transgender rights. Bring this thing in to mainstream so that people have awareness. I just hope for a batter future for women and transgender so they can live without any discrimination in the society.