Women in Pakistan were initially thought to play the traditional role of being housewives. However with changing times, the Pakistani society has also evolved.
Women have a much significant role to play in the society rather than serving their husbands at home. During this time of economic crisis when men are suffering from unemployment and lower wages, households require all members of the family to work and add to the family income. So the wives have to go out and work so that they could earn enough to give their families a sufficient standard of living.Women belonging to the lower income group and rural class have since independence played the role of family earners.
They have served in households by rendering their services such as that of cooks, servants, cleaners, etc. While the lower class women worked all day to earn two meals per day for their families, women of the middle class were supposed to stay at home and take care of the people living in their homes. However when the world entered the 21st century the position of women in the country transpired. More women were allowed to acquire higher education and then work in the corporate world to earn for themselves and their families.Women in Pakistan now form a relatively greater part of Pakistan's working population and their contribution to the country's economy has ever since been increasing.
However men still dominate all the higher posts in private and public offices, the trend is now changing as women are being encouraged by being awarded with promotions for their high quality of work. The mindset of the people in the rural class is also changing, there is greater awareness regarding the importance of education for both boys and girls and there has been an increase in the enrollment of lower income class girls in primary and secondary schools.Almost all of the women belonging to the middle class families have now started acquiring higher education. The trend of getting girls married as soon as they enter their 20s is slowly diminishing because today's men only want to marry women who have acquired a substantial level of education.
Women in Pakistan also have a major role to play as housewives and mothers. They are the ones responsible for the upbringing of their children. Since women have now become educated they can teach their children the values and etiquettes of life. Not only that, women could now teach their own children at home after they come back from school.Previously families had to spend excessive amounts of their income to send their children for tuitions because the mothers were not educated enough to guide their children academically but now with most mothers being educated they could sit with their children and help them with their homework.
Although there is greater acceptability for women in Pakistan's society, they are still victims of discrimination. The gender stereotypes which have existed in the society for years still continue to be a barrier for women's progress in the country.
