As equal as men if not better!

Islamabad

While women are considered to be the weaker sex and not allowed to leave the house in certain places where tribal customs prevail, they have proved many times over that they are as capable as – if not better than – men, not only in areas where education counts but in those of sports and physical labour as well. In the latter category they can be seen lifting as many bricks as men at construction sites!  

Not all women are as strong and many of them step out from their homes in the morning along with minor children in tow to earn an honest living, then go home and cook, clean and cater to their family’s needs. They need to be respected and paid well considering the fact that they have kept their dignity and not resorted to begging. It’s a sad but true fact that beggars earn a lot because people want to clear their conscience by giving alms, especially during Ramazan.

In the picture are a few women who are what is known as ‘daily wagers.’ They are waiting patiently outside a wholesale market for someone to hire them to carry the bulk purchases they have made. While they wait, they find time to socialise, exchange stories about their lives and either lament about their fate or exchange humorous anecdotes about the ‘sahibs’ and especially ‘begums’ they come in contact with during the day. Yes, they do! They find the airs and graces of the ‘begums’ quite funny and love to have a laugh at their expense, poking fun at their attire and attitude and sometimes even mimicking them to elicit a laugh from their companions.

Who can blame them for this frivolous behaviour? They have hard lives and a few moments of light hearted banter does them a world of good. Many of them have husbands who are lazy; drug addicts or cannot hold down a job. It is up to them to support the family; bring up the children and keep the home fire burning. Since a majority of the children do not go to school they have to accompany their mother and learn about life the hard way. As you can see the little girl has curled up in her mother’s basket and is fast asleep, either because she is tired from walking or has not had a good night’s sleep due to no electricity because of load shedding or not having paid their bill – and the shade under the tree is probably more comforting/cool than the environment at home.

Next time you hire one of these women to carry your goods, remember to think what it must be like to wait like this and not be sure whether any income will come their way. Reward them generously and thank your lucky stars you are not in the same position.