Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #890 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans aims to share knowledge and wisdom from Veterans for the benefit of Community at large. Pharma Veterans Blog is published by Asrar Qureshi on WordPress, the top blog site. Please email to asrar@asrarqureshi.com for publishing your contributions here.
Let us talk about the great achievements girls are making in education. Pass by any road and we see large billboards displaying extraordinary results obtained by girls, their names, and pictures (mostly) are shown. I wish to raise a point here that it is inappropriate that the names and pictures of young, innocent girls are displayed publicly. Given the pathetic mentality our males have, it could pose risk for anyone of them.
There is no doubt that girls are beating the boys in many fields, and it starts from education. They study better, they are more focused, they work harder, and they bring better results. The two critical stages in education in Pakistan are Matric and Intermediate, most importantly, Intermediate as it opens the doors to professional colleges and universities. We are not the only country where this happens; In China, India, South Korea, Bangladesh, and many other countries, the race to get admission in the top institutions is intense and extremely competitive. And girls everywhere are excelling but the boys there are competing equally, not resigning like here.
The disparity that started here several years ago, is already showing in the form of various social and professional issues, which I shall point out here briefly.
Professional Issues
- ‘Glass ceiling’ is the term used for invisible barriers women face in pursuit of career advancement. It is seen worldwide and so is it in Pakistan. Most government departments are headed by the old men who may not be highly qualified, but they are well-connected. For this reason, they stick to their positions and keep manipulating staff so that upgrades are done according to their suggestions.
- Male chauvinism in Pakistan is among the highest in the category of like-minded countries. It is nearly impossible for men to work under women, and they make sure they don’t have to. Women are disregarded, passed over for promotions, and transferred to useless positions. If some women still manage to rise, it is almost a miracle, though efforts start immediately to mar that miracle. In corporate sector, the situation is no better. Most C-suites do not have even one woman. It is really a man’s world.
- ‘Broken rung’ is another term which signifies that the career ladder for women has broken rungs; they go one or two steps up, but then cannot move further because of the broken rungs. It means that women may be promoted to junior positions, but then their movement is blocked in various ways. Men, on the other hand, keep stepping up smoothly.
- ‘Gender gap’ in compensation and benefits package is universal; men are paid more than women for the same jobs all around the world, be it sports, entertainment, or corporate work. Women have been fighting hard to bridge the gap and some improvement has taken place, but the gap remains.
- Harassment at workplace is also universal. Despite our overtly religious orientation on the surface, women are harassed everywhere and anywhere by young and old alike. Middle-aged and older bosses are notorious for harassment. They are all married, have grown-up kids, and an old wife who is no more attractive or interested. These guys are always on the lookout for a happy relief with a female subordinate. If all such stories are documented, the country shall drown. True, that some women also take advantage of this phenomenon and manipulate to get benefits.
Social Issues
- In Pakistan, most girls are under pressure to get admission in medical colleges, because it increases the chances of landing a good proposal greatly. Pre-medical FSc girl students have literally no life; they start studying early morning at some academy, then go to college, and again attend academy after college till night. With every passing year, the competition for getting marks intensifies, and has already reached hundred percent marks benchmark for the toppers. The second hurdle to cross is passing MDCAT test – Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test. It is the most unacceptable practice and it started when some private party connived with the government and launched this scheme several years ago. It is not really for testing capability; it is about making millions of rupees.
- Many more girls get admission in medical and dental colleges compared to boys. Few get married before completing studies and drop out, but most complete their studies. However, even conservative estimates say that 50-60% girls never do medical practice after graduation because their husbands (mostly doctors) do not allow them to work. It is a huge waste of time and money at the national level. Government medical colleges and universities are heavily subsidized, but this expenditure from national exchequer goes waste because women doctors are not allowed to work later. Our men at the helm of affairs are not paying attention to this issue.
- Girls are getting way more qualified while boys are being left behind. This has created serious social issues because matching proposals are not available for highly educated girls. The girls are getting old while waiting for suitable matches. In many cases, the parents and girls accept much less qualified boys, but their inferiority complex spoils the marital relationship. Divorce rate in Pakistan is ever highest now, and this is a major contributor to the trend.
Girls and women in Pakistan are suffering at the hands of the system, men, and other women. In all this mayhem, they have very little say or influence. We are in a major societal breakdown in which only pressure groups have power, no one else, not even the government. Sadly, there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
Despite all the darkness, those who understand must keep showing light wherever they can.
Concluded.