Women in Pakistan

Afshan Jafar claims that the position of women in Pakistan is the product of specific, historical, political and cultural forces (53). In this paper, we will examine the historical and contemporary cultural and political forces that influence women in Pakistan. Particular attention will be given to the influence of General Zia al Haq on women's rights; this will be illustrated by examining Pakistani government policies on women before, during, and after his rule. The historical and contemporary cultural and political forces are different in the influence on women. In the past, Pakistani women were generally limited, but more respected at home. This is a significant change compared to the public degrading that they faced during and after the rule of General Zia al Haq in 1977 by Islamic justification. In order to fully understand the basis of women's social status in Pakistan and their rights, the Islamic view of women, their position, and their role in society must be understood. In Islam, families are very important and Muslim Pakistani women are basically domesticated and raised to become the woman head of the family. According to DONNAN, women take the roles of wife, mother, and daughter-in-law. Women are taught to strive to become Khadija, Mohammad's wife, and Fatimah, Mohammad's daughter. When they are young, girls are taught domesticated duties. They are also given a younger sibling to watch over and take care of, modeling the duties of a mother. Muslim marriage practices require women to marry and live with their husbands. Women leave their families permanently and only under rare circumstances do they come into contact with them again. Their husband's family becomes their family. The teaching of domestication is continued no longer by the woman's own mother but by her mother-in-law and sisters-in-laws. The government of Pakistan was giving women more rights and privacy during the time immediately following the independence of the government (ROUSE).