 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
My name is John Wilson
 
 
As far as laws related to women's rights are concerned
 
women have been given a lot of rights, which is good
 
 
but the implementation of laws is weak
 
especially in the rural areas of Pakistan
women still have the same status as they did decades ago
Women have inheritance rights which are usurped by the relatives
Women are locked up in rooms and call them crazy
and sometimes they even kill them
This is true...and very common in rural areas
They kill them so that they don't have to give them their share of inheritance
Sometimes women are not even allowed to get married
Because if she gets married, she'll take her share away with her
In urban areas, women are working
They are helping with the finances of their households, alongside men
They are paying for the education of their kids
And not only are they doing jobs, they are also taking care of their homes
The women living in cities are quite active
Another things I'd like to mention is
that Sunday is a holiday for everyone
Men have the day off from work and children from school
but only women don't get a day off
She works very hard on Sundays too
And I think this is very unfair
Men should also work at home with women
But that doesn't happen - most men sleep in on Sundays because it is their day off
I work at home with my wife
Sometimes I'll just stand in the kitchen with her
even if I'm not doing any work
I chat with her while she's working in the kitchen
It makes her happy
She is doing a job
she helps me run the house
she is supporting the family with me
I think the biggest problem is
that we don
that we don't give any importance to what a woman says
If she wants to take a decision independently, we don't let her
What men say is given more importance in our society as compared to women
The man is the head of the household
which is why his decisions are given the most importance
even if he is wrong sometimes
 
Women are getting educated in the urban areas of Pakistan
which is a very good thing
 
 
 
Education empowers a woman to be able to support herself and her family
 
 
Also, education helps her make good decisions in her daily life
 
 
 
 
I'm Hania and I've recently moved to Islamabad
 
 
I think this is one of the best cities in Pakistan
 
Probably because there are a lot of foreigners living here too
 
 
 
Maybe that's why it has got a friendlier environment
 
 
For people who want to walk on the streets
and be themselves
 
 
I've lived in Lahore
I've lived in Bahawalpur
 
 
and many other cities
 
 
Islamabad seems much safer than other cities in Pakistan
 
 
 
But in case of Lahore or some other city in Pakistan
I wouldn't feel comfortable
 
Just walking down the street
I don't feel safe in other cities, even if I'm driving alone
 
 
 
 
There are a lot of cases that have taken place
of harassment and cat-calling
 
 
 
 
It shouldn't be that way
 
 
We should feel safe and free in our own country
 
Not as a girl, but as an individual
 
 
I do not see any opportunities living in Pakistan
 
The first opportunity I get to move out of Pakistan, I will
 
because there are no jobs here
 
Nothing happens correctly over here
 
Even while going home, one faces a lot of problems
 
 
I'm guessing that things are not like this in other countries
 
 
If I have to take the Expressway home
 
 
I know that there will be a rally on the way or some other impediment
 
 
It's very stressful
 
 
We have received education at good universities
 
 
 
I think we were never promised jobs
 
but at least we were sure that we'd make it somehow
 
But this is my second year after graduating and I can't find decent work
 
 
It is becoming very expensive to live here and it is not easy for a single earner to support his family
 
 
 
 
It is important for two people to earn
 
We are willing to work, but we don't get any jobs
 
I am Anum
 
Like Hania, I've recently moved from Lahore
 
because of my husband's job
 
and I've been trying to find a job here
I was teaching in Lahore
 
 
The pay scale here is too low. I have been
going to interviews, but
 
no luck so far
 
I am looking for a teaching job though I've done my
 
Masters in Marketing
 
but I love teaching
 
I have taught at two reputable institutes in Lahore
 
for two years
 
Now I'm trying to find a job here
 
 
If I compare Lahore and Islamabad, because I've lived my whole life in Lahore
 
26 years of my life in Lahore and now I've moved to Islamabad
 
I find Islamabad way better than Lahore
 
In Lahore, I wouldn't even dream of
 
going out in my pajamas
 
Even though in Lahore I lived in a good area of the city
 
 
But even in that area you can't go out unless you're dressed properly
 
 
 
 
And here I'm in my sleeping suit and am sitting by the road eating
So, Islamabad is way better
 
But then again, it is still a part of Pakistan
 
So you will come across some people with the same mentality
 
But if I talk about living here
 
permanently in Pakistan
 
I don't think I'll opt to do that
 
because everything is so expensive
 
 
My husband has a handsome salary but
 
 
 
 
I don't think that a single person can afford to send his kids to good schools on one salary
 
 
 
As a woman living in Islamabad, I don't face many problems
 
 
but there are problems for women in Pakistan
like harassment on the streets
 
Let me tell you, the other day
 
 
I walked out of Centaurus shopping mall
There were a couple of guys in the parking lot
 
 
They started cat-calling...telling me to come sit next to them
 
And my husband was with me, but that didn't stop them
 
 
Every other day we hear about rape cases
 
and kidnapping from posh areas
 
 
A sense of security is missing
 
 
 
also in terms of finding a good job...I don't think that there are equal opportunities
 
I won't be too comfortable raising a girl child in Pakistan
 
 
 
 
 
 
I wouldn't want my child to grow up in an insecure environment.
 
I wouldn't want to expose her to such dangers so early on in her childhood
 
 
She can't just go out cycling
 
She would have no independence living in Pakistan
 
 
I can't put her in a bubble...I want her to explore different things
 
 
In Pakistan, I can't just put her in a box
 
And make her safe
 
 
If you look at the recent cases, even boys aren't safe in this country anymore
 
So, it's not about being a boy or a girl
 
It's the mentality of the people...I feel sorry for them
 
 
Women still need to be given rights
 
Women are not allowed to work
 
 
Females should be allowed to work
 
They are usually not allowed by their families to work because
of a lack of proper and safe transportation
and because of the kind of people out there
 
 
 
A lot of women work in cities now, but
there are still people
who have moved to cities from villages
 
they still don't like to send their girls/women out to work
 
 
 
 
 
