Please stop dividing women. Modern or traditional, female is a female. In Pakistan, we all are suffering in our known and unknown ways. Living in a context where tradition wins over common sense or science, the transfer of intergenerational trauma becomes a part of the DNA of our society. Expressed or unexpressed, we all carry this silent mutation.
Gender roles expect girls to marry a man of their parents’ choice and if they don’t, they are labelled as characterless or disobedient. Boys are expected to follow the footsteps of their fathers. If a man has worked day and night to build his business, his son is bound to take over.
Smoking is injurious to health”. Like everyone else, I believed it to be true but I often questioned myself that “why did they always show men smoking in the ad and not women?” Or “is smoking gender specific?”. I did not dare ask this question from my parents because some things do not have room for discussion in brown culture, especially coming from a girl.
I deserve to get equal education rights as any boy, and I deserve to get equal wages as my male counterparts. It is about receiving equal status and social respect as any other fellow. Sadly, many women in different parts of the world aren’t getting those rights. Feminism isn’t about man-hating, and if you think “why do we need feminism?”, then look at our community where girls are sexually harassed, a three year old girl is getting raped, a wife is suffering acid attacks from her husband because he didn’t like her face.
