WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND SOCIAL CONSTRAINTS

“There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power
stronger than both, that of women.”
(Malala Yousafzai)

No nation can flourish without empowering women. Women's empowerment is a crucial step towards
the rise of any nation; however, some social constraints are restricting women from getting empowered.
These social constraints affect the prosperity of any nation, directly or indirectly. The following social
barriers restrict women's empowerment in society: Gender inequality in society is a barrier to
empowering women. The economic deprivation of women is a social constraint in our society that is
affecting the prosperity of the country. The limited participation of women in social and economic
activities is one of the social constraints to empowering women in the country. Early marriage is a social
barrier that does not allow women to get an education and take part in other activities. Education plays
a vital role in empowering women, but poor and limited educational facilities restrict women to
household chores. The behaviors and activities of society are social barriers that do not allow women to
take part in many activities. Gender parity is one of our society's social constraints that restrict women's
opportunities. Restricted political participation of women in Pakistan affects women's empowerment.
Moreover, the domestic violence against women in our society is because of the loopholes in our
criminal justice system that restrict women's empowerment. Therefore, to counter all of these social
constraints, there is a need to take many steps that allow women to thrive without any social barriers.
Women's education is a crucial step towards empowering women. Moreover, raising awareness at a
public level about the importance of women's empowerment is mandatory to restrict such social
constraints.

The term women's empowerment is defined as accepting women's viewpoints and raising the status of
women through education, awareness, literacy, and training. Women's empowerment allows women to
make life-determining decisions in society. Women's empowerment allows them more freedom to
pursue their desired goals.

After the inception of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had a positive attitude towards
women, and Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah tried to eliminate socio-economic disparities against women in
the country. After being inspired by the second wave of feminism in the 1960s, the women of Pakistan
started their journey to improve their social and economic conditions. After that, in the 1970s, Zulfikhar
Ali Bhutto came into power. He has liberal views on women. He gave specific seats in national and
provincial assemblies to women. The current constitution of Pakistan, which was implemented in 1973,
says that "there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone." Women's empowerment became
an important debate in Pakistan in the era of social media, which left a positive impact on women's
empowerment in the country.

In the contemporary world, women play an important role in a variety of fields, from scientific
development and literature to business. Empowering women is essential to the health and social
development of families, societies, and countries. When women are empowered, they give their best to
the next generation. Therefore, the transformation of moral values and effective social changes need
women's empowerment. Moreover, women are equally important for the prosperity of the economy
and the development of the country.

In the current era, Pakistani women have enabled themselves by gaining higher participation in socio-
political and economic fields. They have secured their quota in local government departments,
bureaucracies, media houses, and parliament. However, all of these developments are limited. There
are also some social constraints that restrict women's empowerment in Pakistan.

Gender inequality is discrimination on the basis of sex, which is a social barrier in society. In our society,
resources, income, and available opportunities are unequally distributed. There are a lot of places where
women are not allowed or preferred to do work. Irrespective of giving both men and women the same
opportunities in the labour force, companies or contractors prefer men. In many job opportunities,
women are not allowed to compete on the basis of open merit. In Pakistan, the gender inequality rate is
higher as compared to other South Asian states such as India and Bangladesh. Recently, a large
demonstration was held in Bannu KPK demanding that all family parks be closed down. Last month, a
jirga in Bajaur made a similar decision, demanding women be kept away from recreational spots.
Moreover, in many factories, women are allowed to do work at minimum wages as compared to men.
Women are deprived of taking part in many aspects. Hence, gender inequality is restricting women's
empowerment.

The economic deprivation of women is a social restriction in our society that is affecting the prosperity
of the country. Investing in women's economic empowerment sets a direct path towards poverty
eradication and inclusive economic growth. In the absence of economic empowerment of women, many
social evils are prevailing in our society. It leads a family towards intra-household tensions that destroy
the family relationship. Economically deprived women have to depend on men for their daily needs.
Economic dependency results in making women unable to make decisions about their future goals.
Furthermore, in today's world, only a man cannot afford household expenses. So, in the absence of
economic empowerment of women, poverty prevails in society. Hence, the economic deprivation of
women affects the prosperity of society.

The limited participation of women in social and economic activities is one of the social constraints to
empowering women in the country. Social activities help women to improve their social skills, develop a
positive attitude, and enhance their confidence, while economic activities reduce poverty and make
society more prosperous. In the absence of social and economic activities, women are trapped only in
household chores. In our society, most women are not allowed to take part in social and economic
activities, which results in an increase in poverty. In Pakistan, it costs the state five million rupees to
produce a medical doctor, and the majority of those admitted to medical college are girls. After
graduating from a public-sector medical college, only about 20% to 30% of females enter the medical
profession. This is because of limited economic independence. Such constraints have an impact on the
country's society and economic prosperity. 

Early marriages are a social barrier that limits women's ability to grow in life. For women, pursuing their
education and other activities are necessary to achieve their goals, but early marriages distract them
from their passion to achieve those goals. Early marriages put many responsibilities on women's
shoulders, which makes them more depressed. Early marriages result in early family planning, which
forces women to stay at home. After giving birth to children, despite their goals, women only give their
attention to household chores. Moreover, early marriages deprive women of gaining status in society,
owing to which women are not treated in decent manners at home. Hence, early marriages restrict
women to get empowerment.

Education plays a vital role in empowering women, but some social constraints are restricting women
from getting an education. In our society, feudal and religious mindsets do not allow women to get
higher education in universities. A woman who was not allowed to get a quality education is not able to
train her next generation. In the absence of education, women are not able to acquire technical and
social skills, owing to which they are not able to do anything except household chores. Moreover, in the
absence of women's education, society tends toward extremism and crime. In Pakistan, the women's
literacy rate is 48 percent, which is almost half that of men. Educated women are more aware of their
rights. On the other hand, uneducated women are deprived of many social and economic rights. Hence,
women's education is crucial for the prosperity of society.

The behaviors of society are social barriers that do not allow women to take part in many activities. In
developing countries, a male-dominated society offers a limited number of options for women to live
their lives. Women are not permitted to drive or travel alone in such societies. People's behaviors
toward women who are doing or want to do some business are very critical, which restricts women's
participation in such activities. Moreover, women are discouraged from taking part in sports and other
such activities. Such types of obstacles are more common in rural and semi-urban areas. Therefore, to
change the fate of society, we first have to change our behavior toward women.

The limited political participation of women affects women's empowerment. Studies show that a higher
number of women in parliament generally contributes to stronger attention to women's empowerment.
For women, political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and true democracy.
In Pakistan, there are two types of political discrimination against women. First, they are not allowed to
choose to vote for their desired candidate. Mostly, women cast votes on the order of their family men.
Secondly, the direct participation of women in politics as candidates is criticised in our society.
Restricted political participation takes away the right of expression and the right to vote from women.
Owing to this, women are deprived of many basic rights. Therefore, in the absence of political
participation, women's empowerment is a myth.

Domestic violence against women in our society is an obstacle in the way of women's empowerment.
Gender-based violence is an act of violence that results in physical, sexual, or mental harm to women.
Generally, women face this type of violence in a variety of ways, including harassment from partners,
family, and the community. A report published by the World Health Organization indicates that globally,
about 30% of women worldwide have been subjected to either sexual or physical violence. In Pakistan,
cases of violence against women are increasing day by day. Society is facing many rape cases of not only
pubescent females but also young girls. Recently, the Lahore High Court recorded the highest number of
divorce cases. Unfortunately, our justice system has failed to implement laws that are made for the
protection of women. Although the police have taken some initiatives, such as the women's safety app
and anti-violence helpline number, these types of facilities are limited only to metropolitan cities.
Hence, women are facing grave issues in their daily lives in the form of domestic violence.

Therefore, the government should promote women's education to gain development. The government
should provide women with free education along with safe accommodations in the form of hostels.
Many parents hesitate to send their daughters to big cities because of poor or limited accommodation
facilities. A woman can only get a quality education in a peaceful and safe environment. Hence, the fate
of society is linked to women's education.

Women's empowerment is mandatory for the development of the nation, but some social barriers are
restricting women's empowerment in Pakistan. The world's dynamics are changing in the twenty-first
century. The current era is an era of science, technology, and development. These are all things that
require skills and intelligence. Women can take part equally in all these fields. In Pakistan, the
population of women is almost half of that of men. Therefore, women's empowerment is crucial for the
economic development of Pakistan. The world is shifting towards gender equality, and the countries
with the highest rate of gender equality are more developed and prosperous. Restricting women's
participation in every field of life means that we are fighting a war with half of our army. In the
contemporary world, nations are beating each other in education, science, technology, and
development. So, in the absence of women's empowerment, we cannot thrive in the right way. This
essay throws light on the complex relations between women's empowerment and social constraints.
Hence, less women's participation rates are stifling the realization of Pakistan's full potential. If we fail to
counter social barriers against women, we will be far behind in the world.