Patriarchy strikes again as locals vandalize a statue encouraging fathers to educate their daughters.
Picture credits: DAWN https://www.dawn.com/news/1610525
A statue installed on a highway in Daska fell victim to vandalism by a group of intolerant and parochial people. The statue was beautifully sculptured into displaying a father giving a book to his daughter, signifying the idea of the father encouraging his daughter to study. The statue aimed to promote advancement towards education by sending out the message of gender equality when it comes to education. However, the restricted mindset of some extremists became clear as day as the statue was maliciously mutilated earlier this month by unidentified peoples. The head of the daughter was horrifyingly cut off while the arm of the father was brutally severed. This appalling and obnoxious action portrayed the repugnant psyche of the people that destroyed the sculpture, according to whom, any female that tries to receive education should be murdered, while any helping hand that aids her in the process should be chopped off.
When it comes to the assaults instigated against women’s right to education in Pakistan, the dismembering of this statue isn’t the first. There have been several attacks on actual women where the motive was to monstrously murder them. In October of 2012, 15 year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban due to her activism and efforts in helping girls receive education in Taliban-occupied swat despite the ban imposed on female education. Miraculously, Yousafzai recovered from the injury and has been since working for the educational rights of women. While, Yousafzai was internationally acclaimed for her bravery as she became the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, the support that she received from the citizens of her own country is questionable. In November 2014, a month after she was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize, the All Pakistan Private School Federation, representing over 150,000 schools, announced an “I Am Not Malala” day, and demanded for her memoir ‘I Am Malala’ to be banned. Apart from this example of official dislike against Yousafzai, conspiracy theories about the reality of the attack instigated against her have also been circulating. According to some such theories, the assault against Yousafzai was staged, while according to some, she was shot by a CIA agent posing as the Taliban.
The skepticism of Pakistani men on the valiance of Yousafzai stems from the patriarchal notions that women are to be limited to the private sphere and disengaged from public activities. This notion immediately rules out Yousafzai’s efforts in education as “not in line with Islamic principles”. This bitterness becomes more pronounced while considering the cause for which Malala is fighting: education for women. Receiving education has been deemed as ‘western’ by many since the colonial rule. This trend started during the colonial era itself as a number of Muslims refused to receive education by deeming it as a foreign tool that posed a threat to their culture. Years after the colonial rule, education is still seen as alien and menacing, but only when it comes to the education of women. The patriarchal order established in Pakistan tries to maintain their cultural identity by denying all sorts of progressive values and practices that can help in developing a better status for Pakistani women. Any exercise that may improve the security and the socioeconomic standing of females in Pakistan is immediately declined by those who claim to be working towards preserving their cultural values. However, why is it that the burden of the preservation of culture is put on the shoulders of women? Why is it always women who are denied their basic rights in the name of tradition?'
Even in the 21st century, we are not yet rid of such social stigmas suffocating women’s education. Ajab Afsanay reached out to the female students of Karachi to share their experiences with the pursuit of education all the while fighting patriarchy at each step.
1. Have you ever faced any gender disparity or gender discriminatory attitudes in terms of education? (preferences to your brothers for sending them abroad or any other patriarchal views which your relatives hold?)
“I have faced gender discrimination in regards to education - my parents were more willing to send my brother abroad than me. The reason for not sending me abroad was rather patriarchal - because I’m a girl, I can’t live alone and I have “limited” years left with my parents because they want me to get married so I guess that adds to it.”
-Muznah Masood
Communication & Design, 2021
“My relatives don’t believe in girls studying - no girl in our family studies after the age of 18, that’s the kind of community I belong to. In my family, my dad saved up for my brother's education and my marriage, so I suppose that says a lot.”
-Mahnoor Dhingra
Altamash Institute, 2020
“No, since I am the only child of my parents, I don’t really think I had to face any such issue but yes there are some instances where my gender kept me back from receiving the type of education I wanted to receive. I always dreamt to go to NCA, which is located outside Karachi but then I somehow came here (Habib University), because going to another university in another city, was not an option for me as I was too young to handle anything and upon that a girl to handle everything. Especially keeping in mind the mentality of people in Pakistani societies. As far as patriarchal views that my relative hold, it was never really the cause because nobody knows about the degree I am doing. They have that minds set on doing those typically set things: to do BBA and consider CND as online courses. I have stopped explaining it to them that there are variety of degrees and fields open now.”
- Maryam Jamal
Communication & Design, 2023
2. Do you wish to go abroad for your post-graduate and if yes, would your parents fully support your decision?
“Yes, I do plan on doing my post-graduate from abroad. After a lot of convincing and seeing my friends and other senior girls going abroad to study, my parents are quite agreed to this fact and they know that after under-graduate, doing masters is a compulsion for me.”
- Maryam Jamal
Communication & Design, 2023
“I would like to go abroad for my post-grad and my parents would support that NOW, because I have been trying to change their perceptions from the very start. That’s how I was able to study thus far in the first place”
-Mahnoor Dhingra
Altamash Institute, 2020
“Yes I would, and my parents do support me. However, my parents have already been after me to get married because I’m at that age. It’s worse now because my university is almost over, so they have been looking for suitors for me already.”
-Muznah Masood
Communication & Design, 2021
3. Is there any pressure on you to get married or engaged after completing your undergraduate?
“There is A LOT of pressure on me to get married/engaged after undergrad because that’s how it is in my family. They think after this I will have crossed the ideal age of marriage.”
-Mahnoor Dhingra
Altamash Institute, 2020
“No there is no such sort of pressure to get married or engaged right after under-graduate. This topic comes into discussion once masters is done. But things can change; you can expect anything from desi brown families.”
-Maryam Jamal
Communication & Design, 2023
4. After completing your education, do you have plans on getting a job and being a breadwinner for the family?
“I do plan on getting a job. Even if I’m not the main breadwinner, I do want to be able to contribute to my parents in whatever way possible.”
-Muznah Masood
Communication & Design, 2021
“Yes I do have plans for getting a job but I can’t say much about being the breadwinner. I don’t even know how getting a job will turn out or how my family is going to support it, so just hoping for the best.”
-Mahnoor Dhingra
Altamash Institute, 2020
As we enter into a more progressive age slowly by raising awareness and conducting peaceful protests, it is evident that we still have a lot more social evils to combat and mindsets to change so that every father can educate their daughter with no guilt nor shame and work towards a better and more tolerant nation.
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