It appears that these personal choices are actually quite political and allowed by men (and women of patriarchal mindsets, too) only when they don’t question their authority or threaten to rob them of their power....
GIRL POWER
Three months into 2022, yet we’re still having trouble granting girls and women their basic rights. Each step they take to build a life for themselves, each choice they make without referring to the ‘male’ strata of society is scrutinized, even labelled a sin. Reclaiming public spaces? Wearing a headscarf? Not wearing a headscarf? Going to meet a ‘boy’ friend at his home? It appears that these personal choices are actually quite political and allowed by men (and women of patriarchal mindsets, too) only when they don’t question their authority or threaten to rob them of their power.
So how do the girls navigate through this? We did what they asked us to do and we saw the result. Maybe, it’s time we stand up to #breakthebias and show them that we matter. In this regard, Careem Pakistan recently hosted an event for female journalists, Captains, care home agents and colleagues to educate them, to simplify and improve their lives.
Getting educated about your rights, and to know what’s your position according to your religion and the State is the first step to empowerment. For most people, it’s difficult to understand the fundamentals of law; they need help and rightly so! For most people, there’s also reluctance in having to deal with anything related to court and they’d rather accept other alternative settlement to/for it. This makes them vulnerable, especially if there’s property involved.
Legal Aid Society, for example, is a good resource for anyone who wants to make empowered decisions in daily life. You can email your queries or, for an instantaneous response, you can connect to professional lawyers through their toll-free number 0800-70806 and seek counselling from 9am to 5pm. Whether you need an update regarding your case in court or whether you’re want to understand your nikkahnama, they’ll help you out free of cost. Here, all information provided is treated confidentially.
Often, women are left out or cheated out of their inheritance and since they are ignorant of their rights, they find it difficult leading a respectable life. We don’t find enough women entrepreneurs or women workforce because, again, they’ve not been ‘allowed’ by their fathers or brothers or husbands. If only girls realise the importance of financial independence to break the glass ceiling!
And again, instead of thinking about challenges like incomplete education, not-so-fancy clothes, language barriers, marital status, etc. begin with something small. Something as basic as your driving skills can be pretty useful if you register yourself as a Careem captain, for instance. More than 32 million rides have been taken by women using the service since it launched. The company already has more than a thousand female captains. Of course, there’s this thing that the greater the number of rides, the more you get to earn, but it actually offers you flexibility to set your own working hours. In 2019 alone there was a percentage of captains who drove for less than 10 hours whereas some chose to do more than 60 hours a week. So those who have the luxury, may consider it as a side gig or you may work full-time to support yourself/family.
Either way, it lets you participate more in society. The lack of proper public transports catering to females is a huge hindrance in the social mobility of girls. They cannot pursue a degree; they cannot work; they cannot even make plans for themselves beyond the neighbourhood. And even if it’s just you they get to see empowered in this manner, you never know it might inspire them!
