GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN OUR SOCIETY

Gender discrimination is when someone is treated unequally because of their gender .This includes harassment /discrimination based on sex, gender identity or gender expression. Women are seen as a sexual object, who are not allowed to take decision for self or their family. However, the male is seen as a symbol of power. Due to male ownership and the patriarchal structure of the Pakistani society women are submissive to men, their rights are ignored, and their identity is lost.

Gender discrimination is very common in Pakistani society. Woman has to face gender discrimination socially, economically, domestically. Gender discrimination is very controversial issue in our society. Women are treated poorly domestically, financially, socially because of their gender. Women are paid less as comparative to men .women have no right to show consent in their marriage .woman have no power to take decision for themselves and about their family welfare. Gender discrimination also witnessed in domestically for example women have least opportunities for education ,jobs ,etc .higher authorities should not only make policies but also implement for them.

Constitutionally, Pakistani Muslim women are able to vote, participate in elections, hold public offices and pursue most professions. But in rural areas scenario is worst. Pakistani society is a male dominated society. Many professions are just supposed for males. Women are just bound to be a teacher or doctor.  Women and girls are discouraged to choose other professions.

It can mean restricted access to education, a lower standing in society, less freedom to make decisions around their personal and family life and lower wages for the jobs and work they do .women and girls also experience various levels of violence and harassment. Right to equality is a fundamental human right and should be accessible to all, regardless of their gender. Girls are forced into marriage to start a family before their puberty. This is the outcome of families’ traditional beliefs that education is solely for boys and girls are the ones who are intended to take care of homes. Early marriages lead many women to conceive when they are still too young to care for themselves or for their unborn child which further leads to an effect on their physical and mental health.

Often women and girls are confined to fulfilling roles as mothers, wives and caretakers. The main consequences of gender inequality is lack of education due to the restriction of outside opportunities. Gender discrimination is prohibited under almost every human rights treaty. This includes international laws providing for equal gender rights between men and women, as well as those specifically dedicated to the realization of women’s rights, such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

Child marriage is a form of gender-based violence and a result and driver of gender inequality and gender discrimination. Gendered  norms around ownership of assets including land and recourses dictate access to food .In most circumstances, women have no agency nor affordability of purchasing and eating nutritious food for themselves and are dependent on the food choices of other members of the house hold-mainly husbands and in laws. Gender discrimination is a root to many social issues .Gender inequality leads to illiteracy, poverty etc .Forced marriages and child marriages are the result of social injustice. Equal opportunities of education, jobs should be provided to all individual. Social injustice causes tension, stress, anxiety, depression. These problems should be solved policies and laws should be made to demolish gender discrimination. Females of our society are discouraged to take active part in policies and law making .Our government should  give attention  and encourage females to take active  part in law making and politics.

Gender discrimination can be demolished through giving awareness to people .Government should encourage women empowerment, women education etc to demolish Gender discrimination. Gender discrimination discourages women to take active part in decision making and legislative process. Gender discrimination leads to less opportunities of jobs for women in our society. We should take bold steps to discourage gender discrimination. We should make effective laws and implement them .Higher authorities should pay attention to this contemporary issue in our society. Equal opportunities should be given to women and girls in all fields of life.

Article 25 ensures equality before the law and equal protection of the law and states that there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone. Articles 25 (3) AND 26 (2) allow the slate to make special provision for the protection of women and children. The major causes of discrimination are stereotyping and prejudice.  Discrimination in Pakistan usually depends upon mentality of people. The gender disparity in Pakistan is evident at house hold level. It includes distribution of food, education, health care, early and forced marriage, denial of inheritance right, mobility restriction, and abuse violence. Domestic violence ,less educational opportunities for girls ,sexual violence on collage campuses ,dominancy of males, honor killing, forced marriages are faced by women.

In Pakistan ,there is a substantial gender disparity in education .Pakistan is a patriarchal society in which women face a wide range of discrimination ,leading to a low social, economic and political status. Women comprise 52 percent of Pakistan s total population illiterate is a dreadful situation, and it might be the root cause of the country fragile and lopsided economy.

Sexual assault remains an alarmingly common crime on college campuses. Female, Trans, and gender-non conforming students face a higher risk of sexual violence. Student who are sexually assaulted may develop mental health conditions like PTSD. Students can educate themselves on how to prevent sexual assault on campus.

Inferiority and superiority are common phenomenon in Pakistan. This allows men to be seen as dominant, decision maker of family and the sole bread winner. Women, however , are caught in a culture of subordination to men with little power over family and individual affairs.

The most obvious examples of gender –related killings include ,inter alia, rape murder, intimate-partners violence escalating into murder ,dowry –deaths, so-called “honors killings” and deaths arising from harmful practices or neglect. Girls are married or joined in union without their free, prior and informed consent, without an option to do otherwise, or an understanding of the implications and contract for the remainder of their lives.

Gender disparity in health is obvious in Pakistan .Women suffer from neglect of health and nutrition. They don’t have reproductive health right, appropriate prenatal and post natal care, and decision making power for birth spacing those results in maternal mortality and morbidity.

Denial of inheritance right

 Not withstanding this heart start by Muslim women ,as ordained in Quran and regulated by law(the Muslim personal law) application act 1962),nothing much has changed on the ground. Inheritance is generally denied to women .The superior courts have laid stress on the strict implementation of the law and observed that legal hitches/technicalities and procedural lacuna, including the principles of res judicata”, estoppels and adverse possession ,may not deprive a female of her right to inheritance.

Mobility restriction

Women are also less mobile then men by every mode of travel and for almost every purpose of travel. On a random day Pakistani women are more likely to stay home then travel. A socio-cultural context that controls  female mobility through permission, veiling, and having an escort, Social constraints on the appropriateness of a mode of travel ,higher burden of walking on women ,because of limited income and increased involvement in unpaid family work ,such as water and firewood collection.

To improve mobility of women in Pakistan, female-friendly transport system should be implemented. The society should also recognize the mobility needs of women. Programs, May facilitate female working mobility and their access to educational, employment, and other activities.

Distribution of food

We should give equal distribution of food among male and females because they both require nutrition’s to fulfill their responsibilities of life.

Ways to promote gender equality in daily life.

We should promote gender equality in our daily life. we should encourage women education, women empowerment.

Help individual women succeed.

If a women is doing a business , teaching, or any other profession ,do help them and encourage them to fulfill their financial responsibilities.

Discuss gender equality with family members and children.

 we should train our children to treat equally with females and give them more respect and give them equal opportunities in all  fields of life.

Support women –owned business.

 we should encourage those business which are owned by women. If we encourage small business earned by women, it will make women independent and it will also encourage women empowerment.

Shop from companies and  business that promote gender equality.

we should shop from companies and business that are owned by women and encourage women empowerment.

By supporting feminism, you can stand up for an equitable, fairer and more sustainable world. You can play a critical role in creating more gender equal world by committing yourself to create awareness of gendered issues and taking action to help them. Communicate with the women and girls that are your friends ,family members and loved ones, support women organization.