When asked about the future of Pakistan, Azra Bibi, a 19-year-old housemaid, exclaimed that there is no “sukoon”, or peace.
For working-class women with minimal education, like Azra Bibi, it is especially hard to find stability amidst a country currently facing political and economic turmoil, where individuals like her are given the last priority.
According to a study conducted in 2023, only 13% of women in Pakistan have a bank account. On the contrary, the rate is nearly triple for men, being approximately 35%. However, this study does not cover women’s exclusion from informal financial decision-making, which occurs for the majority of individuals in Pakistan without bank accounts. Bibi explained, “Maardo kho qudrat mil thei hai paaso kie, meira aadmi kaam nahi kar tha hai poora din naasha karta hai, nikama.Tho phir mai paasa kaama thei ho baacho ko kilana pilana ki liye.” (Men always get the power to decide what to do with the money, my husband does not work and is intoxicated all day long, he is a lazy layabout. So I have to work to feed my kids).
Bibi mentioned that she got married at 13, and she clarified that her parents were very poor. “Meyri maa baab bhoth ghareeb thhei, iske wajah sai meri baab chotay bacho kie shaadie kar lay thei thhai.” (My mother and father were very poor; because of that, my father married off children at a very young age).
When asked if she would ever marry her children off at a young age, Bibi passionately explained her opposition. To her, education is the way out of poverty. “Meyri umeed hai mai meyri bachieu ko parhaun likhaum, jo meyri zindagi horihai tho hai, pher bachaun ko prahaun wohi sahi hai.” (My hope is that I can educate my daughters; whatever struggles I face in my life are bygones, but educating my kids is the correct way). Bibi has 2 daughters, one 7-year-old who is currently enrolled in school and a 5-year-old who she hopes to enroll as soon as she can gather the money for admission.
Bibi, like 51% of women in Pakistan, is illiterate compared to the 31% illiteracy rate for men. The literacy gap is even more stark in rural areas where education is scarce and hard to find. According to a study conducted in the Thata district, one of the poorest districts in Pakistan, only 3% of females went to secondary school.
Bibi was also asked about her freedom to divorce her husband, replying that she would never divorce her husband. She went on to explain that, “Aadme ki paas jaa thai hai, jo baan ja thai wo aama kay paas rhai thei hai. Par agar uskei khaandan zyaada power waali ho thai hai who unko bachai nahi dai thai.” (Men get to take the kids, but if the kids can be convinced they will go with their mom. If her in-laws are powerful, her kids will not be given to her).
Bibi also mentioned that she gave her kids vaccines, going against a common viewpoint held amongst many. Currently, the Pakistani government sends out civil workers to give kids vaccines for free, notably polio vaccines. Many people fear the vaccine even or even just mistrust the government too much to accept it. However, Bibi says that she will accept whatever help the government can offer her.
The thing that Pakistan needs the most, according to Bibi, is peace. In an environment of poverty, confusion and mistrust often boil up, both in government and amongst people. Azra says that “loogh dhoosro pai bahrosa nahi kar paa thai hay, sab doosro ko lootna cha thay hai.” (People cannot trust one another; everyone is trying to steal from each other).
Right now, Bibi’s biggest goal is to provide a better future for her daughters. For many women struggling with poverty around the world, education is a privilege reserved for the wealthy and progressive.
