- And then some…
The unofficial ban (there was never a law forbidding it) on women driving in Saudi Arabia has come to an end, although, because women must still be accompanied by a male relative when they travel, you will probably still not see a female driver on her own in a car. Perhaps this rule too will come to an end in time, as will the rule that women cannot marry (or divorce) without the consent of a male guardian — or obtain a passport, or open a bank account without similar permission.
Before the ban on driving came to an end, a handful of courageous women defied it in Saudi Arabia. They were arrested and face a stiff punishment, because in the absence of a broken law — the charge against them is that of treason. It is hard to figure out how that works. This of course is what happens if the law is not uniformly applied because it is left to the whims of separate qazis and their individual readings of shariah.
In Pakistan it is legal for women to possess a driving license, but this freedom seems to apply to cars alone. The restriction against driving other vehicles is grounded in culture, and has no connection with the law, and none at all with reason. Women drive cars, but almost never do they drive motor cycles, bicycles, trucks, rickshaws, or buses. Not only do they not drive motorbikes, but as passengers they almost never sit astride one as safety demands. It is a common sight to see a woman sitting ‘sidesaddle’ behind her husband on a motorbike, carrying a couple of children in her lap. It is a practice so hazardous it takes one’s breath away. Given that such a small percentage of the population can afford cars, this makes the situation almost as bad as Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan does not lack its own activists who strive for change. Other women break these norms despite all the obstacles, simply because they have little choice. Both these groups are the real heroes of this country, women who battle against the sordid mentality that surrounds them and holds them down.
The leader of this major political party (and all the millions of others like him) speaks of feminism ‘degenerating motherhood.’ Just as it is unclear how driving a car is treason, it is unclear what he means here
Asia was widowed at the age of twenty-one. She was left with two small children to support. She bought a van, and started driving it as a school bus for girls in Faisalabad, in this country where almost all the drivers of large public vehicles are men. I say ‘almost’ because there is a women who drives a truck. Hats off to her, and to Asia, who has been doing this for the past thirty-five years.
The Pink Rickshaw Scheme in Lahore enables women to purchase rickshaws and drive them, to carry women passengers only.
Another initiative in the Punjab subsidises women from lower income groups enabling them to buy motorbikes, and provides training to drive them. In the absence of a car, these bikes enable women to move around without being dependent on a relative or on public transport.
Such initiatives make a difference. Women currently form almost half the population of Pakistan. If they are uneducated and without means of transport, their chances of earning a living are restricted. At present only a very tiny percentage of women in Pakistan participate in the workforce. This does not include agriculture where women play a huge role.
In Saudi Arabia, where at present the ratio of men to women is nearly the same, there is again a very small percentage of women working as opposed to men (although it is larger than in Pakistan, which goes to show the difference education can make). Now that women are allowed to drive, those figures might change. More women in the workforce would mean a greater contribution to the economy of the country, and more financial stability for families.
The media has a responsibility to give at least as much time and space to such issues, because what happens to half the population of a nation matters. Women — and this is not speaking of the romances and sartorial agonising of film stars – matter, as much as men. Women’s empowerment matters. Feminism is a wonderful thing. Women’s slavery is of very grave concern. When a woman is murdered, the case is crucially important from start to finish, not because of photogenic value of grieving families’ tears, but as an example of injustice. The role of the law in the case matters, and it matters that we know what happens to the killers even if it takes them years to come to justice – or if they never come to justice, as is often the case.
The affairs of the leaders of the country are important too, such as when the head of the judiciary butts in where he is not supposed to, and when he behaves like a petty schoolmaster and tears the dignity of other judges to shreds on camera, behavior that is damaging to an entire pillar of State. It is also important when the leader of a major political party speaks ill of feminism, showing his complete ignorance of the movement, its history and struggles, and of what it stands for. People with a mindset such as this, and they are to be found in every political party and throughout society, are what feminism continues to struggle with.
The leader of this major political party (and all the millions of others like him) speaks of feminism ‘degenerating motherhood.’ Just as it is unclear how driving a car is treason, it is unclear what he means here. If he is speaking of the problems that arise when both parents work, that is a matter for legislators. You cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater. Feminism is what has enabled women to ask for and obtain equal rights as men, rights which have been denied but to which they are as entitled. The alternative is slavery and ‘honour killings’.
The right to work without the guarantee of maternity leave, and one of a decent period, as for example in the US, does create major problems. But that is a matter for lawmakers.
Without her courage and determination to be independent, and to bring up her children well, Asia would have spent her life as a helpless woman dependent on relatives, who nice as they may be, have their own commitments to cater to. Who – other than politicians – is rolling in money these days? Instead, Asia has been able to educate both her children – and one of them is a daughter. If that is degenerating motherhood then our political leader has missed a few crucial points in life.
