Gilgit - Baltistan
Pictory Two: Gender & Equality
Our socieities, across Hunza and Gojal, under various influences and inspirations have behaved very positively towards reducing discrminiation based on gender and sex. Let’s discuss how such a behavior has changed various fabrics of our society. Noor_.
well noor i was thinking of introducing such a topic on pamir. its of course indirect gathering of ppl from gojal and its a positive step to discuss our problems and find solution for them.
beside other things such topics will give us an insight to the future where we can work together while facing the challeges of future.
while talking on gender discrimination in gojal or hunza, there has been positive changes. we hv been working on this for decades now and what we see is a positive change special in female sector.
our ppl r on their way up toward a positive change,but we hv stil to go along way.ours sisters r in every field of life n r working at high levels .
what we see in last two decades is termondous change in our area this is true for female folk too.
they hv gained huge ground. which is very good thing but we hv to go ahead .look whats ahead of us? we hv to see what changes female folk hv brought to our society.
one of the problem we r facing now is that we r losing our ethics so we hv to work out what we can do to preserve it?
A good picture showing the orthodoxy that has persisted in our system for centuries.Female folks used to be partial in many areas of the day to day activities as not to depict something which could tremple their dignity in the family and in the village where they used to dwell.Although much of such practices have vanished but still in some areas the same notion is very much evident.
It has many many things that we can not merely disregard.Such practices used to enhace the selfesteem of a woman in the susceptible society and made her capable of acquiring an eminent place before the notables of the then society.
Now the requirements of the time have changed and the social circle has expanded and there has been external invasions over the society.In this scenario we can not expect every female folk to be continueing the very tradition and old practices of ours.The only thing that can be expected is not to demoralize themselves and be abreast with the malefolk towards a prosperous future.The norms,values and integrity we have in the society should persist as to distinguish us from the people who have lost their identity.
The mental capacity of female folk is the same as that of males but there is the difference of physical strengh.The era we are in is wholly and solely based on mental and intellectual capabilities and females stand at the same place where males are at.
So far female folk has been very progressive and i expect them to be accelerating more as cope up the challanges of the time.
Ghalib,Lahore
“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer”, wrote W. Somerset Maugham. Could it be that some traditions, however rooted in great histories and cultures, are now trapping countries in poverty? This certainly appears to be the case when it comes to the influence of social and cultural norms on the status of women.
For many people, especially in the developed world, discrimination is mostly a moral issue and must be resisted as a matter of principle. What is often overlooked, however, is the economic impact of preventing women from participating actively in the economy. If the issue is starting to attract attention in OECD countries, it has been sorely neglected in poorer parts of the world, where discrimination and repression often have deep cultural and religious roots. Yet, the success with which developing countries integrate female workers into their economies will be a key factor in building their competitiveness in the global economy.
According to the World Bank’s World Development Report 2000/01, closing the gender gap in schooling would have significantly increased and sometimes more than doubled economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), South Asia (SA), and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Despite international declarations on gender equality, as, for example, in the Millennium Development Goals, only few countries have actually achieved gender equality in primary and secondary education. The differences are even more pronounced in higher education. In South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, for example, girls only make up a third of the number of students in tertiary education.Unfortunately in our country there in not equality between human sexes .We have to reduce these inhuman approaches and must indulge a society or promote a society where there will be Gener equality.Inshahallah
Gender enequality has never been a serious issue as far as Hunza and Gojal are concerned, thanks to the guidence of our beloved MHI, with his direction, the female population is very much on board in all walks of life.
Before the abolition of Hunza State, the people of this region were extremely poor and the basic necessities like clothing, shoes, food and nutritions were beyong peoples reach due to extreme poverty. The primary reasons were lack of infrastructure and will of the rulers, where people were denied access to education and health care and restriction on travelling outside the state. The only source of subsistance was farming and live stock out of which the people were heavily and agonizingly taxed by the Mirs.
After the abolition of Hunza state, the people were free to travel to the rest of the country where people acquired new skills and ways to earn livelihood. Due to their natural instrinct of adaptability and hard work, our people very able to get rid of extreme poverty within two decades. Today we hardly find anybody walking barefooted or without adequate clothing. This progress is atributed to the enlightened community we belong and the various innitiatives of the Imamat institutions.
These institutions have been working to improve the quality of life of the community and sister communities without any biosness.
Today our female population is as active as the male members, participating in the economic activities and are very much empowered to live in the society with deginity.
Sher Karim
Rawalpindi
Promotion of gender equality changes and will continue to change the social fabrics of our society. Just three to four decades ago our society had different priorities only to meet subsistence and survival needs with a slow pace of change. The influences of the former princely state system were still at large and much of the emphasis was on traditional authority and inherited social status. As a result people had different communal ties and responsibilities that shaped their value systems influenced by religious authority. The traditional two- parent family where male being the breadwinner and female, as the caregiver has never existed in our society. Our women had and have full participation in the income generating activities. Still it was or is? a male dominated society in terms of important decision making like education, choosing a career, marriages, divorces etc.
AKDN’s role in raising awareness about education & gender equality among our people was crucial. With its development programs like AKRSP & AKES, they provided a platform for women in every village to realize their strength and positively contribute towards the development of society.
Anyways, with increased economic opportunities created by AKDN & public sector women entered into the paid work force and achieved greater economic autonomy accompanied by increased authority in decision making at home, family, and workplace. The phenomenal rise in the number of educated & skilled women (men as well) unmatched with the economic opportunities available for them in their area to pursue their career goals. hence bringing about a sort of displacement situation where part of a family lives in city and part in another city or village.
As a result women & men have to mix with people from different cultures and backgrounds and adapt to the working environment hitherto unknown to them. Same is the case with the student community, who study in the cities or abroad. Hence consciously or unconsciously adopting values some of which are not necessarily contradicting our own and some of which do. The situation will continue, and we will have to accept certain changes in the years to come.
Today we do not claim to have achieved a high degree of gender equality, but we must set a course that we can finally navigate to move to this end. Only educating women will empower them. We have to give them confidence and awareness about the real world situation in workplaces and educational institutions, before sending them in, so that they can appreciate their role in the promotion of a modern society. We must not forget that modernization doesn’t only mean economic advancement but it takes place when economic, social, and political changes go together in a coherent way.
They rightly say that “Change is constant”. And we must harness the change for good of the society and try to make it inline with our value system.
The comments are encouraging for us. we are fortunate to be in a better situation. thanks to our beloved Imam who gave us the vision.this doubles our responsibilities.
…first f all i vl favour ghalib by stating that the only differance b/w male n female z THE PHYSICAL STRENGTH n this blessing era due to OUR IMAMI INSTITUTIONS…
…sher afzaL has shared a wounderfull definition of tradition IT AID US 2 GUIDE NT 2 RESTRICT…
another defination of CULTURE z it means CHANGING……..
first v hv 2 preserve our tradition another thing v have 2 impliment new concepts acoording 2 d situation n our socities…vch should b acceptable 2 all…..
…we hv 2 do alot n order 2 fill the huge gap,we should not b proud,v being pakistani,r not utilizing the national assets,v r totally dependent on imami n NGO’S for development n different aspects f life…vch vl nt b enough………aziz lhr
Silence
Too many women in too many countries
speak the same language of silence.
My grandmother was always silent, always aggrieved
only her husband had the cosmic right (or so it was said)
to speak and be heard.
They say it is different now.
(After all, I am always vocal and my grandmother
thinks I talk too much)
But sometimes I wonder.
When a woman shares her thoughts, as some women do,
graciously, it is allowed.
When a woman fights for power, as all women would like
to, quietly or loudly, it is questioned.
And yet, there must be freedom — if we are to speak
and yes, there must be power — if we are to be heard.
And when we have both (freedom and power) let us now be
understood.
We seek only to give words to those who cannot speak
(too many women in too many countries)
I seek to forget the sorrows of my grandmother’s silence.
But I want to speak for the truth, to be heard what I believe, to beg when needed to be beg for, to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves.
( even they say that we women have the so called freedom, why do a 19 year old girl have to merry a 45 year old guy? Why do we (women) are subject to ever steps we take??)
Too many women in too many countries
speak the same language of silence.
amina khan USA
gender difference has already perished in developed countries and widing in the time passing, it would have been merely a dream in the era we are standing, if the femal were not in the chain and circle.it is all because of combination of male and femal efforts,that led to the stage we are.sensing the gender the society will never produce the quality in the various field of work.the supress group,maldomination societies have been in sluggish and deteriorating condition,they still pleading for assistancy in many ways.it was time when femal were neglected and kept them in cagges,obiviously that tale is conscise and precise as well.breaking the chain made it productive and effective.relishing the fruit of the time and Yes it is not the end more to Come if the trend Go along….
Yes! every thing has limits and limiting oneself is best philosophy of ones existence, wavering from orginal principle also wreks one and all integrity,better every one to follow the principle of humanity and live with best tradition that we have inherited,getting all these at once ,social responsibilities and worldly affairs indeed is a bright chapter in Societies.”Ours” of course the course of life always change and changing is best way at short span then making it longer is best way to survive.every canon is obivious for good,and for all.the bounty is for all,so my observation in the time we are is vanishing and productivity is on swing but more tight home work is demanding.we need to UP ROOT the geneder Difference to accelarte and integerate the development,making participation of Femals at large in the development work.
That has the foundation of Educating them…and it is gracfully happening in our society,yes more encouragement is needed to widen the Area of interest .
Grow up you are always equal to Males ,geneder difference never exist in intellectualy societies. and of course we are moving toward Intellectual Society,without your participation it is Half way…………………………………..
Chao
Dear readers of PT
PT has initiated a very improtant step of discussing such issues. issues like this must be discussed. it is not a political issue that we can say what we want and we can blame people having our eyes closed.
We are muslims and this is understood that women have equal rights in every field of life as men have. If there is no equality it means we are weakening ourselves and our society.
society is made functionable by groups,these groups conssist of both male and female, limitising the role of a certain gender or group can destablise the society. Today if we are saying that we have made more improvement than the other parts of North is because of these women,thier role and participation.
Now the real and the hard issue,it is concerned with our area. lets see that how much practical we are in saying that there should be equality. Only giving our women education and allowing them to earn or do a job is not giving them equal rights. It is our responsibility to mantain their role and importance as well.
One of my friend has said that we should take care of our ethics. i would like to ask that what about the men, are we open to do what we want ,aren’t there any boundaries for men.
In an early post one of my brother said that female students in rawalpindi are indulged in unethical things.
let me clearly say that we the males are creating all this fuss. if any thing wrong is happening in rawalpindi i will suggest my brother to look in the back ground, tou will find our own boys creatin such problems.
issues and topics like this are sensitive and we shoul take care of the limits and feelings.every man is our brother and every female is our sister.(spritual family)
i apologise if some one is hurted.
AMJAD ALI (AAJ TV)