Any society or country’s progress would not be possible without the contribution of women. Even without the involvement of both men and women, society cannot evolve. In Pakistani society, the empowerment of women has consistently been a contentious topic. They are lacking in basic necessities. When compared to the urban areas, Pakistan’s rural areas lag far behind. Women in rural areas experience several difficulties throughout their lives, which makes them particularly insecure. In Pakistan’s rural areas, there aren’t many elementary, middle, or high schools, universities, or other kinds of educational institutions. This explains the high percentage of illiteracy among women in rural communities. This also involves other challenges like unemployment, physical harm, harassment, etc. Women in such areas also experience early marriages, sexual violence, domestic violence, honor killings, and acid attacks, all of which are prevalent in rural Pakistani society. This is due to the low literacy rate in those areas.
Empowering Pakistani women is essential for the progress of the country’s rural areas, and this is the responsibility of the state as well as the entire society. Other organizations, such as NGOs and MNCs, could also contribute to women’s empowerment in Pakistan. Education is the initial and most meaningful significance. Education will develop several characteristics in them, through education they will meet their needs like they will learn to compete, they will be given opportunities in many sectors, and they can get jobs to financially support themselves and their family.
When we look at the numbers of men and women in rural areas overall, women outnumber males. Despite having a large population, they have not been provided with their fundamental rights and other necessities of life, which is why Pakistan is plagued by several problems. Such as illiteracy, unemployment, prejudice, physical abuse, and harassment. Unfortunately, neither the government nor the general public is paying attention to their fundamental flaws, particularly when it comes to education. The majority of rural locals oppose women’s education because they believe it goes against our tradition, which is absolutely untrue. As a result, the lives of women in such places are quite difficult. They are often just required to perform housekeeping in rural regions, although they are also required to perform strenuous activities, such as caring for animals, feeding livestock, farming, cutting grass, hauling wood, and many other activities that are not suitable for them. In response, this causes them to experience illnesses in addition to getting into depression. The following actions need to be taken to empower women.
The root of every problem women are facing is the lack of education. Hence education is the most significant factor which can be taken as a remedy in order to empower women, not only in rural areas but also everywhere in the world. Due to the lesser literacy rate of women in rural areas, Pakistan is far away from development. That is why Pakistan is facing
instability in politics, the economy, and other social aspects. Therefore it is very important to provide quality education to both men and women. It is the prime responsibility of the government to establish educational institutions with modern equipment facilities. Educated women can play a vital role in the development of society and a country as well. The advantage is that she will easily compete to face almost every problem in society, mostly faced by an uneducated woman in rural areas.
To be on the list of developed countries, it is a basic necessity to empower women without any gender discrimination. Gender discrimination is a major reason, why we are far behind in the world race. Gender discrimination is the harsh reality of Pakistani society, especially in rural areas. It is not only the responsibility of the government but also the responsibility of society especially parents and other family members to empower and support women.
The restriction of women, especially in so many professions, is another serious issue in rural areas. They are not permitted to leave the house under any circumstances. Such as for a hospital, school, shopping, etc. They suffered as a result of these problems which made them dependent. For a developed society they should be allowed and
should be free from unnecessary restrictions so that they can meet their needs for education, employment, justice, and health facilities. It is the responsibility of everyone to give them their rights so they can adopt any career to achieve their goals in order to reach their destiny.
An empowered woman can play a key role in society, she can choose the right direction for herself and also for her family. She can be sovereign in choosing any of the responsibilities, which she wants to take. Empowering women can also contribute to society as active performers in many ways and also have the ability to lead a society in the right direction. An educated and empowered woman can bring her children in a better way, and she can support her children financially as well, which is mostly done by men in rural society. Moreover, she can divide the burden of her husband while supporting their family.
Government should pass laws that encourage women’s empowerment and strictly implement these regulations in order to empower women in rural areas. Most importantly, though, is that they should be treated fairly. In order to empower people in rural and urban areas, it is also necessary to raise public awareness and organize conferences, seminars, and other events. In the modern day, people can use electronic media, print media, and social media to campaign for the empowerment of women. Considering that everyone uses social media these days, it may play an important role in these instances. . Lack of awareness in the rural areas is the biggest concern for the rights of women, especially their education, justice, and equity. As a result, they suffered more as compared to the women of urban areas. So now it is the responsibility of everyone like parents, husbands, brothers, and other family members to give rights to their women and provide all the facilities they need. When women are given more power, society as a whole will be happier and more prosperous, and the nation will progress on the right track.
