Promoting Gender Equality Icons of Feminism in South

Promoting Gender Equality: Icons of Feminism in South Asia - 70 years of Pakistan. Icons of Feminism in Pakistan during the First 70 years: Suggestions for the Future. By Shireen Gheba, MSc. MBA (HRM) Freelance writer, artist and educationist.

Summary of My Presentation: • A great start for Pakistan by Quaid-e-Azam. • Many icons of feminism in Pakistan through the decades. • Current icons. • Need for improvement in laws. • Cultural and regional handicaps for women. • Steps needed to be taken.

Great start by Quaid-e-Azam. • He took his sister along with him wherever he went. 1947 and 1948.

Begum Rana Liaqat Ali

The positives: 1. Everyone had the right to vote. 2. Anyone could drive. 3. Education was the right of male and females. 4. While the women were not given their rightful properties, they were still protected and provided with food, clothing and shelter by the men in their families.

The negatives: Women did not have a say in matters that affected her life: 1. Education. 2. Choice of life partner. 3. Decision on number of children. 4. Inheritance. 5. Financial independence

Many icons of feminism in the last seven decades in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto: First woman prime minister of Pakistan. Maleeha Lodhi: a diplomat, military strategist, academician and political scientist. - Twice ambassador to the United States. Sayada Abida Hussain: polititicain & ambassador to USA.

Prominent personalities in performing arts 1947 to 2007 Bushra Ansari: comedian, actor, script-writer, tv anchor & singer. Khalida Riasat: tv actor. Farida Khanum: Ghazal singer. Reshman: Folk singer. Noor Jehan: actor & singer. Uzma Gillani: tv actor.

Icons of feminism in present times. Dr Ruth Katherina Martha Pfau NQA, SQA[(9 September 1929 – 10 August 2017) Muniba Mazari: Motivational speaker, and philanthropist. Anita Ghulam Ali Educationist. Malala Yusafzai: nobel prize winner, education activist. Mussarat Misbah: beautician, philanthropist – owner of Depilex beauty Parlor.

Stars in the present world Mahira Khan: actor Momina Mustehsan: singer. Nigar Nazar : cartoonist Bilquise Edhi

We can have as many icons as we like… • Change can only come from the grass root level: • How many of the above mentioned icons were from the grass-root level of society? • Yes, very few.

Individuals can take steps. • Building pressure groups – as I’ve seen Nageen Hyat, and Asma Jehangir. • Each one of us can help, in her own way. When my husband died, my in -laws closed our banks. It was my architect Mubeena Nasir who said, ‘I’ll build this house, even if I have to pay through my pocket. ’ Fighting for the helpless women in our society. • Joining those who are already on this track to strengthen what they are doing.

Government can take Steps : • Updating the laws in details to bring justice to a woman by right. • There must be implementation and fines for men who do not comply. • Implementation of laws already made. • Giving more power to the governing bodies to protect women. Specially in cases of domestic violence.

Culture and the mindset…. • In Change Management, cultural changes can only be made if mentors and prominent influential personalities are ready to make the changes by example, as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah did. • Population planning, honour killings, equal rights for women will have to seen through examples and icons.

Raising social status of women. • Education – free compulsory education for all. • Skills: giving all technical education to become financially independent. • Law of inheritance. Ijtehad in Shariyah law is necessary now. • Right of property: inherited property to be given equal share as men. • Marriage certificate: Nikah namah: right of divorce for both as was originally ordained.

Suggestions for future: • Inculcating ijtehad in Shariyah law is necessary. Shariya law panel must have women in them. Islam needs to be followed in totality and not in bits and pieces. • On death of husband, if all his assets get frozen. Then wife must be given an allowance till a fair disposal of his property is done. How is she expected to sustain herself and her family ?

continued…Suggestions for future Law of inheritance has to be practiced with spirit of Islam. Girls and boys must be given equal inheritance share. Ijehad in interpretation of Islamic inheritance law is necessary now, as the men in todays’ world aren’t fulfilling their obligations. In Islam 100% of a woman’s income is her own. However, she uses her earnings to sustain the man’s home and family, which is his responsibility alone. All her income (which is hers must be recalculated and given to wife, ) along with her share, if her share is going to be just 1/8 th. Islam has to be in totality. This also includes provision of her lifetime sustenance.

…Continued… Suggestions for future: • Divorce law, must not ask why a woman wants to divorce just as it is not asked of her, why she wants to marry a man. This asks for mudslinging, which is wrong. It is sufficient that she wants to leave. The process must be done with respect and grace. • In case of khula, a woman should automatically be able to take all her own belongings with her. (Presently, she has to forego everything she owns , whereas in Islam it is her Haq Mehr only. ) • Equal pays with men for same work done in all organizations. (This is not there even in developed countries today. )

Summary of My Presentation: • A great start for Pakistan by Quaid-e-Azam. • Many icons of feminism in Pakistan through the decades. • Current icons. • Need for improvement in laws. • Cultural and regional handicaps for women. • Improvement in legal matters.

I’ll end with a quote from Bano Qudsia ‘My plea is to fight against cruelty and injustice whether - it is against a man or a woman, we have to fight together against it. ’

We have already come a long way, we have still a long way to go. -Together we can make it!