Patriarchy in Pakistan

Patriarchy in Pakistan

Pakistan belongs to a part of the world where a woman's status can be measured by indicators such as sex ratio, literacy levels, economic activity, labor-force participation, and women in government. The Constitution of Pakistan gives equal rights to both men and women. However in reality men have manipulated women to become more powerful than women. Men hold most top end positions in government while women rarely appear in positions of power. According to the "UN Statistics and Indicators on Women and Men" it can be seen the there is inequality amongst gender when it comes to participation in political decision-making and economic decision-making. It also portrays that in a Pakistani society, a woman's status is always lower than the male partner. She is deprived of a good education, food, health care and freedom of choice of partner, number of children and other essentials of life. These are some of the factors that play a role in the life expectancy, resulting in women living a shorter life than men.

In his book "What is this thing called Patriarchy" Johnson states that there are four characteristics of patriarchy that are rooted in the social structure of a society. The first characteristic is that there is a male dominated social system. This does not mean that all men are powerful or that all women are powerless but means in a position where someone has power it tends to be a male. The "UN Statistics and Indicators on Women and Men" show the statistics for the percentage of women legislators and women in parliament in Pakistan throughout the years, it can be seen that there hasn't been an increase at all. Instead women's share of legislators, senior officials and managers is a merely 3% and only 22% of parliamentary seats in single or lower chamber are occupied by women. The second characteristic of patriarchy is a society is organized around an obsession for control this is often is used to elevate men. In the same table the Percentage of women in adult labor force is 21%, which suggests men strive to have a greater part in the economy leading to males being contributors to the family, which puts them in control. The third characteristic is that patriarchies are male identified. Johnson mentions how the word mankind and the use of the word guys are used when referring to a group that includes women as well. This can be seen in Pakistan where societies prefer to have male children or a male first-born mostly for economic reasons. Men want their family to be identified by a male dominant member. A male child is preferred since they have greater earning potential and the ability to lead a strong patriarchal family. The table also shows how the legal minimum age for a woman to get married is 16. Arranged marriages being a norm in a Pakistani society, fathers usually marry off their daughters to a male adult. Still being at the tender age of 16 she is oppressed under a male. All the children bears are considered to belong to the father and if the first-born is a male. The first-born is assumed to carry the family once the father passes away. The fourth characteristic of patriarchies is that they are male centered. Johnson says, "men's natural place is in the center and women's natural place is in the margins." This can be seen in Pakistan where a male is the head of the family and basically leads and knows what is best for his family.

Gender order is one of the terms used by Connell in his book "Gender" which explains the social organization of gender relations at different levels of social life. Gender order describes the gender infrastructure of an entire society. Gender regimes shows patterns of gender equality in institutions like schools and workplaces, also in large institutions such as the government. Connell's four dimensions of gender relations are power, production, emotional relations, and symbolism. The first dimension is Power, which means men want to hold predominant authority in business and the state with them occupying the top positions. Men also want to hold authority in families and institutions such as the police and military in order to have total control and power in the society. As mentioned above, women's share of legislators, senior officials and managers is a merely 3% and only 22% of parliamentary seats in single or lower chamber are occupied by women shows that the government is male dominant which gives them total power over government and legislature. The second dimension is production or labor. Men have approximately twice the average income of women, and control most of the major concentrations of wealth. Men have higher levels of economic participation, and better access to future opportunities. Men control the basis of a modern economy. The "UN Statistics and Indicators on Women and Men" table shows the distribution of labor force by status in employment. In Pakistan, the percentage of employees for men is 39.5 while for women it is 22.1. The percentage of employers is 1.2% for men and zero for women. Lastly, the percentage of contributing family workers amongst men is 19.7% and for women it is a high 65%. This shows men play a major role in the economic of Pakistan, with the male being more financially stable thus being major participants in the economy gives them control over it compared to women have little share in the economy. The third dimension is emotional relations also known as cathexis. Men receive emotional support from women about social obligation. In Pakistan, heterosexuality is the only acceptable life style as well as polygamy, a practice widespread as well. A society is organized to prioritize men's pleasure in personal relationships. There is a double standard when it comes to men's sexual freedom compared to women. The last dimension is symbolism; this is where men control most cultural institutions like mosques, universities, media, and religion. They use these institutions to define men as superordinate to women. Men have higher levels of recognition and their activities are regarded as more important. In Pakistan, men mostly reign over the media and religion, which they use to manipulate to portray men as superior, compared to women.

In Pakistan, the literacy rate amongst women is only 40 percent for females 15 and over. This can be blamed on the fact the legal age for marriage is set at 16. Marriage prevents these young women to pursue an education instead they devote their time and effort in raising the kids and providing hospitality for her husband. As a result of being a stay home wife, a woman's participation in the labor force is low as well, a mere 21%. This shows how they don't have a source of income for themselves instead they have to depend on the male figure to provide. This places them at a complete disadvantage in every social aspect when compared to men.

A change in the patriarchal structure of Pakistan's society is the first step that needs to be taken to guarantee gender equality. A change would improve the image and status of women in society in general and in the family as well. This change can cause more equality amongst women in the fields of economic, education, politics, and religion. In a patriarchal society women consider themselves as inferior. First women should come out of this hole by knowing their power. This is done through economic independence, which can only be achieved through education. Education can thus lead to the decay of a patriarchal society and can lead to women living an equal and independent life.

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Sources

Connell, R. W. "Gender Relations." _Gender_. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2002. 72-93. Print.

Johnson, Allan G. "Where Are We?" _What Is This Thing Called Patriarchy_. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1997. 3-50. Print.

"Statistics and Indicators on Women and Men." _United Nations Statistic Division_. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2012.