Words talk

International Women’s day may be over but the conversation it started is not. That conversation is an opportunity to have that uncomfortable discussion that everyone avoids or hesitates to participate in fearing everything from being judged to being challenged on the status quo; that holds true both for men and women. But isn’t that the point? In a patriarchal society like Pakistan, its an even harder conversation to break; men don’t want to be labeled sexist and women don’t want to be labeled prejudiced. The underlying understanding, however, may even be the same at times. Although it is part of a much larger topic of ‘diversity and inclusion’ which is very close to my heart and people are generally more receptive to that over anything women... If I’d a dollar for every time someone told me I am wherever I am, is because I am a female, I would be a billionaire ( And I would move to Themyscira, for those of you who don't follow Marvel comics, google it). Me? who ...

“A woman is the biggest enemy of a woman”, is a rather popular claim that is made by men and women alike in serious and casual conversations. I not only find it false but to an extent, absurd. If I were to read too much between the lines, I would say it is a conspiracy to divide and rule by the ruling powers of patriarchy.   For me my biggest allies, confidants, cheerleaders and friends have been women in shape of relatives, mentors, colleagues and friends. That is not to say men have not played a role in shaping who I am today- they have and I am grateful to them.   The matter of the fact is that we find people at workplaces, family gatherings, social get-togethers and other places who are sincere, helping, friendly & encouraging and we also find people who are deceiving, manipulative and leg pullers. These people can belong to any gender and it is wrong to stereotype and popularize claims like ‘woman against a woman’. Because if anything economic progression, e...