Misconceptions about Pakistani Women

People around the world seem to think that women in Pakistan are subjugated and treated like cattle. That is so not the case…If I am to very honestly think about my Western counterparts; I find myself to be more liberated and I enjoy more authority than them. I have always had the opportunity to educate myself in any possible way, I have been allowed to make decisions concerning myself and even at times my family. In Pakistan, we women are the main rulers of the household; the fate of children rests in the hands of their mothers as how to educate them the best, what to give them to eat, to wear, etc, Apart from being the authority at home, we the younger generation of women in Pakistan is free to express of opinions and to work however possible. We work in offices and face much less harassment than our western counterparts because the culture of Pakistan inherently preaches respect for the female. We might cover our heads but that does not make us slaves, it is actually our freedom to wear what we like and when we like. Our government does not object to the women of the minority sects for anything they wear to work or anywhere unlike a European Nation that came under fire for passing a law stating that head gear was banned. I ask is that freedom? Or is what we enjoy freedom? Apart from that debate, after coming home tired from work or even a hard day at home, we enjoy an immense amount of respect from our fathers, brothers, husbands and sons. There not letting us go out late at night to do petty work like buying bread for the next day is actually their way of protecting us from being harmed.

I am an example of this empowerment, right from childhood I have not only been given the best education but I am also asked to make decisions for my family, my family seeks advice from me not only that I have worked right from the age of 15 and my parents have supported me and rather loved me more for putting in so much effort and hard work in my own life.