Yay Women!

I know it is ironic to expect this in a patriarchal society such as Pakistan, but every single day here, I am astonished by how amazing women are, especially in this culture.

I am working in a research lab, and literally, there are probably maybe 20 people here, out of which, about 14-15 are women. The women are in charge, they are highly qualified, and knowledgeable. They dressing of the women are conservative, but their mindsets are very open. And almost everywhere I look, women seem to be the ones in highly qualified, educated jobs, such as teachers, nurses, doctors, researchers, principals, etc.  For example, I went to a government school, where every single teacher was a female, except for one.

The men here generally seem to be the ones running their own stores, and businesses, while women do not do much physical labor jobs (except the really impoverished women who are maids), and are instead in academic fields.

From the exposure I had with very conservative Muslim women in the US, I expected women here to be more involved in house chores, who consider earning money, and higher education to be a “man’s work.” However, these women do both! At least from what I have observed, these women wake up early in the morning, they cook food for their husbands and kids, clean the home, wash the dishes, and get ready for work, and get their kids ready for school. Then after work, they come back, they provide food for their families, attend their respective religious center, and on their way back, they do minor grocery shopping. Then on the weekends, these women are the ones getting clothing made, or taking their kids to go get school stuff they need. Honestly- these women seem to do everything. I have no idea how they manage everything.

I will still admit that Pakistan is still a very patriarchal society. What I generally observe is that women are responsible for cooking, cleaning and child-rearing- almost fully. One habit that annoys me is that after eating, men just leave their plates on the table, while the women put the plates away. Women put the dishes up, generally wash them (although many of the households have maids that clean the dishes- although I have not seen many maids), wash the clothes, iron the clothes, sweep and mop the floors. Why is it that women do everything here, and work as well?

Well of course that is not the entire truth. I have seen men here stitch a button, iron clothes, and take out the trash- but compared to what working women do- I feel like that is not enough pitching in. And of course, a lot of women are still full-time housewives. But I never realized how busy their lives can get as well. The housewives I have noticed generally wake up at 6 am, and seem to be busy all day. They are also doing whatever they can to assist their children in school work. I am impressed!

I suppose Pakistani people realize just how amazing women are, which is why mother's day was such a major deal here. It was literally celebrated for days. Everyone kept wishing Happy Mother's Day to anyone what was a mom. I kept seeing stuff about mother's day on the news and interviews from kids on regular TV shows. It was recognized in schools, and emphasized in all the religious education classes. I even saw several posters in the religious center I attend here, appreciating moms. All my cousins secretly went to get amazing gifts for their moms before mother's day. And guess what? The light did not go out at all on Sunday, and several people thought it was to appreciate mothers! I mean how amazing is that?  

Yay women!!! :D