He for the field, and she for the home.
(Tennyson)
According to the holy scriptures, God has created man in the best image and has appointed him His Vice-regent on the earth. Adam and Eve are the first created beings. Their tribe increased giving birth to the controversy of ‘he’ and ‘she’. Much has been written about the status of women in society.
Poets, philosophers, mystics, and saints have expressed their views about the tender vessel. A triangular approach – religious, conventional and modern has been made by the various thinkers and writers. The Christians and the Buddhists views condemn or deride the fair sex as the cause of sins. On the other hand, Islam has restored the woman to a high status and accorded a respectable place in society. The conservatives stick to the traditions, restrict the role of women in society and deny them social and political rights. The moderns have tried to put women on an equal pedestal with men. The oriental society accords a respectable but subordinate role to the women. Free mixing of he’s and she’s is considered the cause of many social ills and evils.
On the contrary, the occidentalists adumbrate the women and hold modern western views about them. According to them women are the adornment of parties, show pieces, and sources of carnal pleasures and enjoyments. It is indeed very degrading. [the_ad id=”17141″]
The English poet (Tennyson) has given ideal compromise of the three views. A woman has to play three roles that of daughter, wife, and mother in her life. She has to shoulder heavy responsibilities as such. Pakistan being an Islamic country expects the women to obey the limits prescribed by Islamic laws & Sunnah..!
In Pakistan 56% population comprizes of women. Majority of them resides in villages are illiterate and conservative. They are mostly house-wives and also share the work of the menfolk. They are simple, shy, modest and meek. They hate fashions and fads. Both the light of education and codes of religion are denied to them.
Then comes the women of the cities and the urban sectors comprising 30% of their kind. They are rather a contrast to their rustic sisters. A line can be drawn between the city dwellers and the urbanites. The former are better educated than the latter, and also enjoy a higher standard. They are charms of universities and co-education institutions. One can see fashion parades in Universities, parties and social functions.
Except for the conservative, others have discarded purdah. They are also very vociferous about women’s right. Now they have entered in services in all the walks of life. They have invaded the masculine fields and are constantly vying with men. The feminine factor in services has closed the doors for employment for he’s, thus creating grave social problems late marriages and unmatched spouses.
Many of them are holding executive jobs. The activists among them are social workers and members of the feminist movement. They clamor for women’s rights, but nobody has the goodwill or inclination to go to the villages and towns and improve the lots of their backward sisters. Many of them lack in domesticity, the greatest quality of women. The secondary feminine qualities like modesty, shyness, coyness, meekness, gentleness, kindness have said goodbye to them.
On the whole Pakistani women are hardworking, simple going, hospitable, bold, courageous and easily contented. Very few of them run after honors. Society respects and regards their rights. Unlike the western women, “You have won the honours but you have lost your honour”, says an America writer Miss Janes.