Local Society: Pakistan is a deeply patriarchal country. If not made painfully obvious by having only one female PM, Benazir Bhutto, in its 78 years of independence, then it is prominent in the situations females face in their everyday routine.
Patriarchy refers to a system of social, legal, religious, and cultural norms where men hold greater power and control over women in many spheres of life. It doesn’t just mean that ‘men are bosses’, but rather it’s the invisible rules, expectations, traditions, and beliefs that shape what’s considered “normal” roles — who gets the voice, who controls resources, and who makes decisions. It operates in both formal areas with laws and institutions and in informal areas, such as in everyday routines.
According to the Inheritance Laws of Pakistan, a wife’s share of her husband’s estate is limited to one-quarter if there are no children. However, it is further reduced to one-eighth if there are children. According to Aaj English TV, a survey was conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where statistics revealed that approximately 90% of the women are deprived of inheritance.
Patriarchy and How it Works in Local Society
The implementation of these laws is causing deep concern. In addition, many women do not request their legal share because of fear, family pressure, and widespread ignorance of the law. Similarly, studies have revealed that many women in South Asia voluntarily surrender inheritance due to social pressure. Moreover, there is an overall lack of awareness among women regarding their rights. Due to this, most women don’t even know that they’re supposed to inherit their rightful share. In other cases, coercion may be used to undermine a woman’s ability to claim what is rightfully hers.
Moving on, in tribal communities — especially in areas of Balochistan — women’s literacy is significantly lower than that of boys. Dropping out after puberty has become the norm. A concept of patriarchal capital is used to prevent women from knowing their rights and educating themselves. This strategy is used to further promote patriarchy, domestic abuse, toxic culture, early marriages and depriving material access to things such as electronics and books. Official statistics posted by UNICEF reveal that Pakistan is home to nearly 19 million child brides.
Even in the 21st century, women are often used as objects to settle disputes, which is even more troubling. Vani and Swara are common practices that reinforce patriarchal control over girls. In these practices, when there is a dispute or conflict, a girl is given to the other family for marriage to settle it. They use marital arrangements to dictate family honours and link female bodies to familial alliances. Fathers, brothers, or any other male head always make marriage proposals and decisions, even in the absence of a dispute. They have the authority to make the “final word”, which remains unchallenged.
Moving forward, the issue not only arises in tribal communities but also in urban areas. Although less intense, patriarchy shapes every situation there as well. Where girls are allowed to stay in educational institutes and seek higher education, they are restricted in what ambitions they can pursue. There are certain expectations about what jobs are suitable, which are mostly feminine and nurturing professions, such as teachers and nurses. Even in educational books, women are often depicted as docile, subservient beings who lack self-reliance. Gender norms are reproduced this way.
Patriarchy is a concept that is holding the women of Pakistan by their necks, suffocating them and limiting their ability to grow as their own individuals. It reduces them to domestic work and unpaid labour, making it impossible for them to pursue their ambitions.
If you think this isn’t the case in your household, then just ask yourself this: ‘Who sits at the head of the table during meals?’ and ‘Who manages all the monetary issues of the household?’.
In the 21st century, where people are having conversations about opening hotels in space, our society still considers it shameful for a son to wash his plate or do his own laundry. Our society still deems it acceptable not to thank the women of our house for all that they do because it has been normalised to an extent that doing household chores has become their chore.
A man can sit with his feet propped on the table while his wife cleans the house and holds their crying child, but if he were to get a glass of water by himself, she would be shamed for not taking care of him properly.
We need more women in leadership roles to inspire other women to pursue their ambitions and break free from these restrictive stereotypes. We need more recognition of women like Nadia Matilda, who, despite her family being against her seeking education, did it anyway. Her uncles went as far as destroying her books, but with just her father’s support, she became the first in her community to complete a bachelor’s degree, and she is now teaching adolescent girls in a non-formal education centre supported by UNICEF.
Change may not come overnight, but it begins when we stop excusing inequality as “tradition”. Pakistan cannot truly progress until its women breathe freely — not under the weight of patriarchy, but under the promise of equality.