This week You! talks to Christie Lauder, who is a Programme
Manager of Centre of Excellence (CEJ) at IBA, Karachi...
You! Moving to Pakistan must be a tough decision to make. Any regrets?
Christie Lauder: Our journey from Philadelphia to Karachi is an interesting one. As educated people, my husband and I knew that all that we heard on the news about Pakistan was not true.
We knew Pakistanis who were either second generation living in US or who had immigrated to the US and we would reach out to them and say we got this job what do you think, and they were like ‘we left why are you going’. But despite being discouraged by everyone we made up our minds and came to Karachi four years ago when the situation in Pakistan was quite bad.
I had no idea what life would be like in Karachi but things turned out quite well for us. And the truth is that the situation is not as bad as the media portrays it. So no regrets whatsoever.
You! What is your experience as a programme manager at IBA? Is women participation equal to men?
C.L: As a great champion of women’s rights, I always try to get women to participate in courses offered by CEJ, and put in extra effort to accommodate them. However, there are still less women in the courses as compared to men. Apart from job related issues, women have to deal with household chores, take care of their children and elderly parents. And at times it is not easy for them to join such courses.
You! What do you think is the biggest issue of working women?
C.L: I think unequal salary is a huge issue. Women get lesser pay than men and are also laid off more easily. This problem exists even in the US. Men are still considered as the main bread earner in the family. Men may not be laid off as easily as women in the States, whereas a woman in the same situation will be laid off without any consideration.
You! Do American women also face sexual harassment at workplace?
C.L: Women all over the world have to face problems in their jobs. Even women in the US face a lot of issues and harassment. Women are sexually harassed because men think they can get away with it and usually they do. It seems that sexual harassment in the workplace is a global thing. Men tend to sexually harass women who work for them. And the idea that a woman can put a law suit out, still brings backlash for her even in the most developed societies as well.
Even though, most women in America are aware of the laws and their rights, they still face harassment at their workplace. This is mainly because they usually don’t know what to do or who to turn to and lack support from their colleagues - both men and women. Therefore it is important that women are not only aware of what sexual harassment is, but how to deal with it and who to approach for help. Men who are involved in sexual harassment are usually ‘compensated’ and the woman has to leave due to the whole issue and its fall out.
You! So what do you suggest in this regard? How do we deal with the problem of sexual harassment?
C.L: I believe women all around the world should be empowered and that they should help and support other women who are being sexually harassed. But the important thing is that the victim should feel safe to come forward. Moreover, sexual harassment is not an issue that can be dealt only by one side. It can be tackled if both men and women join forces. Men should also raise their voices and tell their friends, uncles, brothers to stop this menace. In the US, men are now participating in becoming allies for women, where they have started supporting women.
You! What has been your experience as far as living in Pakistan is concerned?
C.L: I do get more attention here compared to the US, but then that is only because there are differences in the two societies. Sometimes males will say and do things that would be considered inappropriate in the US but I understand that they don’t have any bad intentions. It is just the cultural difference and then they are not aware that it could constitute harassment!
Photography by Shahzaib Ali