ARE WE BORN TO BE NEGLECTED?

Discrimination is formulated when the balance is not found. Discrimination against women in Pakistan is matter of concern these days. Unfortunately, mostly female children are exposed to the gender discrimination and their rights are violated. Women who are living in urban areas are mostly educated and professional and enjoy much better life and status than the illiterate women who are living in remote areas of southern Punjab and Interior Sindh. The condition of the women belonging to these areas is miserable in comparison to the women of other parts of the country. In rural areas, women are discouraged to acquire higher education because their culture does not allow. Whereas women associated to the urban and modern areas are encouraged to get education, so that they may join the technical or professional courses or institutes. But when they attain technical or professional degree they are not allowed to work. They are also not allowed in carrying out the economic activities. As a consequence, their professional education goes into the bin. This is the major drawback as it leads nation towards economic disaster. Gender discrimination exists in almost all societies and economies of the world but this feature of gender discrimination is very much common in Pakistan.

In villages, girls are usually not asked whom do they want to marry. Parents arrange their marriages with the man of their choice. It has also been discovered that if a couple is involved in some unethical practice, people blame the girl alone. Similarly if a female marries twice or thrice, she is considered unacceptable but the situation is totally different in case of males. A divorced woman is looked down upon. We are living in a male dominated society that’s why females are cornered. Even parents themselves introduce gender discrepancy, so how can we blame other people for that. For example, in urban areas mostly parents send their sons to good schools while their daughters study in local or government schools. The scenario clearly indicates that parents are also responsible for gender disparity. But some open-minded parents send their sons and daughters to good schools but at the time when they have to send their children abroad, they discriminate and send their sons only. Such injustices discourage and demotivate females at higher level. The real change will come when the social barriers will gradually disappear in order to eliminate gender discrimination. In Pakistan; many organizations have been formed to protect the rights of women and to shun the gender discrimination.