Justice Ayesha Malik and Senator Sherry Rehman have won a battle for aspiring, career-oriented women by making it to Forbes' Asia’s 50 over 50 list.
Last week, renowned US business magazine Forbes released their list, highlighting women who are making professional breakthroughs in mid-life. The list comprises women working across technology, pharmaceuticals, art and politics in the Asia-Pacific region, and include names such as Vicky Brady, EO-Managing Director, Telstra in Australia, Sylvia Chang, an award winning Taiwanese actor, Beh Gaik Lean, Chef-Owner, Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery in Malaysia.
In Pakistan, a woman’s success is solely looked at through a domestic lens - how well she has cared for her parents, husband and children – and in-laws too, and how clean and orderly her home is.
Malik and Rehman’s selection represents a flicker of hope for working women in Pakistan. In a country with widespread discrimination and entrenched systems of oppression, seeing Pakistani women being acknowledged ought to be an important impetus for positive change.
Breaking stereotypical attitudes is the greatest challenge women face when they decide to work and seek to progress to top positions in professions traditionally dominated by men. For women, rising to the top in their careers is complicated by workplace practices, which perpetuate patriarchy and sexism. It is difficult for them to build their professional lives while these outdated ideologies prevail.
About 49% of Pakistan’s population is comprised of women but, as of 2019, they form only 22% of its labour force. Women's participation in the formal sector is even lower, where it has remained stagnant at 10% for around 20 years. These figures mean that Pakistan is at the lowest in most gender parity rankings.
Women in Pakistan face a multitude of problems in entering the labour market in both government service and the corporate sector.
More than 500 women candidates contested local body elections in the former tribal areas of Khyber Paktunkhwa in December 2021. These women had confronted local customs and traditions to step out of the house and take on the job. But, reportedly, some of these elected women councillors complained that their male counterparts did not call them to meetings or formal interactions with the relevant government officials. Sumiya Afridi, an elected councilor, said she had thought that the local government system would empower women councillors, but the outcomes did not match her expectations.
Another woman councillor Jamrud Karishma Kanwal Afridi said that women councillors have no powers – “the provincial government is lowering our status in peoples’ eyes.”
Something drastic needs to happen to help redress such blatant gender discrimination.
This is an issue we all need to be talking about to create a future full of possibilities for women. Imagine what a long way Malik and Rehman must have crossed to bring career and success on their agenda. Now in positions where they wield real power, they will undoubtedly work to help other women shatter the glass ceiling.
Last week, renowned US business magazine Forbes released their list, highlighting women who are making professional breakthroughs in mid-life. The list comprises women working across technology, pharmaceuticals, art and politics in the Asia-Pacific region, and include names such as Vicky Brady, EO-Managing Director, Telstra in Australia, Sylvia Chang, an award winning Taiwanese actor, Beh Gaik Lean, Chef-Owner, Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery in Malaysia.
In Pakistan, a woman’s success is solely looked at through a domestic lens - how well she has cared for her parents, husband and children – and in-laws too, and how clean and orderly her home is.
Malik and Rehman’s selection represents a flicker of hope for working women in Pakistan. In a country with widespread discrimination and entrenched systems of oppression, seeing Pakistani women being acknowledged ought to be an important impetus for positive change.
In a country with widespread discrimination and entrenched systems of oppression, seeing Pakistani women being acknowledged ought to be an important impetus for positive change.
Breaking stereotypical attitudes is the greatest challenge women face when they decide to work and seek to progress to top positions in professions traditionally dominated by men. For women, rising to the top in their careers is complicated by workplace practices, which perpetuate patriarchy and sexism. It is difficult for them to build their professional lives while these outdated ideologies prevail.
About 49% of Pakistan’s population is comprised of women but, as of 2019, they form only 22% of its labour force. Women's participation in the formal sector is even lower, where it has remained stagnant at 10% for around 20 years. These figures mean that Pakistan is at the lowest in most gender parity rankings.
Women in Pakistan face a multitude of problems in entering the labour market in both government service and the corporate sector.
More than 500 women candidates contested local body elections in the former tribal areas of Khyber Paktunkhwa in December 2021. These women had confronted local customs and traditions to step out of the house and take on the job. But, reportedly, some of these elected women councillors complained that their male counterparts did not call them to meetings or formal interactions with the relevant government officials. Sumiya Afridi, an elected councilor, said she had thought that the local government system would empower women councillors, but the outcomes did not match her expectations.
Another woman councillor Jamrud Karishma Kanwal Afridi said that women councillors have no powers – “the provincial government is lowering our status in peoples’ eyes.”
Something drastic needs to happen to help redress such blatant gender discrimination.
This is an issue we all need to be talking about to create a future full of possibilities for women. Imagine what a long way Malik and Rehman must have crossed to bring career and success on their agenda. Now in positions where they wield real power, they will undoubtedly work to help other women shatter the glass ceiling.