If you are a woman working in Pakistan, one thing is for sure is that things don’t get easier.
In our deep-rooted patriarchal society, women entrepreneurs have begun to make their own mark as successful, distinguished businesswomen, in spite of the discrimination women all over the country are too often met with.
Pakistan Today came across two emerging entrepreneurs, Sana Butt and Nadia Jamil, who highlighted their journey, the challenges they faced, the stereotypes they broke and the trends they are setting.
“I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Initially, I wanted to open up a restaurant because I love cooking,” said Sana Butt, who now runs her very own eponymous beauty salon.
“But my passion for fashion and beauty trumped cooking and I ended up opening a salon. The fashion degree is just an added bonus.”
Nadia Jamil, on the other hand, is a theatre actress who runs her own business ‘The Empty Space’ (TES) Lahore, a small holistic Imaginarium set up to encourage the learning, development, evolution, and growth of the field.
“Since I have always been attached to children, TES was fundamentally created to teach them acting, drama and public speaking,” said Nadia Jamil while talking to Pakistan Today.
“TES is not only for children but for everyone regardless of their age. It is a place where one can avoid technology, let your inner creativity out and find peace of mind,” she added.
Breaking stereotypes
In a country where women are considered as the bread makers rather than breadwinners of the household, the new generation of women are making their way through by becoming more vocal, and having the edge to break the norm so they aren’t left behind in any field.
Fresh graduates are passionate to work and create their own business empires. These women are motivated, are self-sufficient and can give brilliant results under pressure.It is the necessity of the high-tech era that women should stand up and take strong initiatives in the prosperity of a nation politically, economically and socially.
Not only do they provide jobs and services to others, they also partake in the growth of the emerging market economies. Hence, women create innovative ways for business opportunities and take part in their communities.
A dilemma that the women face is the wage discrimination, where men usually get a higher wage as compared to women in the corporate sector. This is the reason why these women combat a multitude of hardships and challenges in the developing world where female entrepreneurs make an undistinguished contribution for the prosperity of the country.
“If you are determined to break these stereotypes and your family is supportive, nothing should stop you from achieving your dream, there won’t be any challenge,”
“If you are determined to break these stereotypes and your family is supportive, nothing should stop you from achieving your dream, there won’t be any challenge,” Sana added while talking to Pakistan Today.
A strong, determined and confident personality is one of the most important characteristic women need to possess in today’s world.
“Having a supportive family was a bonus for me as I got married at the age of 18, but I completed my bachelors and masters because my family had accepted me for how I was,” Sana added.
Living in a society where women have specific roles assigned to her by the society which is why anything that moves away from the norm is considered wrong, and dishonourable.
“A working woman like myself should not prove to the society that they are playing up to the stereotypical gender roles.”
“Women should stop questioning their abilities and skills, in fact, women in Pakistan should take charge of their roles, and prove to the society that a woman is not to be taken for granted,” said Nadia.
“A working woman like myself should not prove to the society that they are playing up to the stereotypical gender roles.”
“Despite the pressure from the society, TES is full of amazing people who want to learn and share. Its aim is to polish the unpolished talent in children.”
“There is a lot of brilliance out there that is not channelled and ignored because the system is one-track minded. And I want to give space to the brilliance to grow,” said Nadia.
Challenges
If you are a woman working in Pakistan, one thing is for sure is that things don’t get easier. Women tend to face hardships if they lack the required business education. Furthermore, the religious, cultural and societal limitations or attitudes also pose a hindrance to these women. All one need is an inspiration to keep going.
“It has been challenging, as I have two kids and also have to manage a household as well as the business – it can be tiring sometimes,” said Sana.
“Not only that, it is difficult to get something done in Pakistan, as the resources are limited and nobody takes their work seriously here. They are just lazy,” she added.
In order to make sure that the clients get the best services, teachers as their maestros and to sustain the business has been difficult for Nadia.
“I have never been money-minded, so in order to sustain the place and make sure the teachers are the best in the field is challenging.”
“To maintain priorities can be difficult. Even though, my family and marriage are very important, maintaining a centre that nurtures and heals can be exceptionally difficult, but I am lucky to have a supportive family and husband,” added Nadia.
Trends and workforce
Both the entrepreneurs have hired a majority of female employees, giving them a chance to grow into something. Furthermore, these job opportunities can further create more jobs. The idea behind this is to empower women.
“We have around 20-40 female employees in the salon itself to welcome and cater to clients, especially to women who don’t feel comfortable with men catering to them in the salon,” said Sana.
“Get connected to the right people as they’re the only ones who will guide you right. You’ll end up finding them, but with experience”
The trend that is likely to follow in the field is the emergence of more female entrepreneurs as the Internet and social media has been influencing young girls in developing an interest in similar fields. Furthermore, spaces like TES provide life coaching, life skills, that teach children, how to be healthy. There is a huge potential in the market for people who want to make it into a profitable business an opportunity for women to raise their children and help other’s children too.
While, Nadia while talking to Pakistan Today said, “The ratio of men to women working at The Empty Space is 1:2, but both the genders are extremely talented and supportive in the work field.”
“It’s more women, women are creative nurturers, they like to nurture creativity. They take care of the environment,” added Jamil.
Future Plans/Advice for newbies
As a woman in the work field, things can get complicated, but they are never impossible to deal with. Thus, thinking about the future is never a bad idea.
While conversing with Sana Butt, she wants to make Sana Butt Beauty Bar and Spa one of the best salons in town, with branches scattered all over the city. Not only that she wants to open a spa for men because it’s all about hygiene and grooming.
“They think it’s embarrassing to go for a manicure/pedicure. But it’s not, it’s just about cleaning up and trimming your nails,” she said.
Whereas Nadia wants to keep her inner child alive by learning, “keep exciting myself from what I learn and what the children teach me”.
“The plan is to grow, heal, nurture. Learn, teach and polish all the talent that comes my way and learn more myself,” said Jamil.
For anyone making their way into the field, these entrepreneurs have a special message for them:
“Get connected to the right people as they’re the only ones who will guide you right. You’ll end up finding them, but with experience,” advised Sana Butt.
“Keep learning, Keep it passionate and believe in yourself,” concluded Nadia Jamil.