The Women of Pakistan

Abstract:
The women of Pakistan have always experienced disadvantage relative to men of the same class. Social, cultural and religious factors have reduced the number of women entering the job market. Throughout the history of Pakistan, Muslim women have suffered a great deal of unnecessary restrictions due to the misconceptions of Islam. Women are brought up to believe they should stay within the four walls of their homes and avoid any contact with men they are not related to. These misconceptions are still prevalent in the society, and women, particularly working women, face lots of problems. Much has changed in the last decade, but even in urban areas, when a woman travels to work, she must still be ready for stares and rude remarks from strangers. The influx of women entering the job market has brought about a certain level of change in public attitudes and promoted acceptance of women’s professional potential. Many employers prefer women for certain jobs, since they are thought of as an expected to be obedient and docile.

Still, most people simply assume that working women do not possess good characters. In this report study we noticed the major problems of the working women face as they aim to break traditional rules and restrictions on their employment and how they deal with such problems. Through a series of interviews, questioners women explained how they handle their problems, how they are being accepted by the society, how they stand up to society’s restrictions, and the effects of paid employment on their lives. Today, they face many of the same challenges that confronted women who entered the workforce a decade ago: the continuing struggle for pay equity, finding work in jobs traditionally filled by males, guaranteeing job safety, and balancing home obligations with work. Discussing the problems of working women in this report, we explained that working women have to face different types of difficulties and harassments.

Harassment, in different manifestations from staring and stalking to sexual advances, is fear for many of them. Women do not generally feel intellectually challenged in their pursuits; rather they face psychological pressures, which restrict their active participation in work. Such annoying behavior is not limited to any specific society or any section of society; even the employers, highly educated bosses and government officials, also cause concerns. Women are however not always weak and subjugated; they enjoy active support and respect as well from their male relatives and colleagues.

In professional sectors, many women have made inroads with their confidence, and have proven their abilities. There are cases where organizations also facilitate them with equal rights and remunerations. Discussing the increasing role of women in professional fields, we noted that women mostly prefer those jobs, where intellectual contributions are involved. Information technology, banking and other services sector organizations have more attraction for women. This implies that more important is to utilize the expertise of women than to drag them in all spheres of life, without having a regard for the requirements of their personal lives. There is a need to identify those sectors of national life, where women can contribute more effectively, and utilize their abilities to the fullest of their potential.

Introduction:
Men and women are pillars of society, without their equal participation in all spheres of life no society can progress properly. As far as the capabilities of women are concerned, they are no less than men. From the stone age women have been equally participating in socio-economic life with men but women labor forces participation has not given the same consideration as men work receive. The status of women as second-class citizen is reinforced by the narrow vocational opportunities available to them. Their contribution remains invisible as most of them have to work in the unorganized and informal sector which encompasses all kind of work, such as casual frame work, labor in family enterprises and private crafts, private schools or installed labor in houses. Moreover a large invisible female labor force cannot be properly utilized in the best interests .There were some forces, religious and social customs that prevent the free flow of women labor to seek Employment in large numbers. These restrictions are now weakening day by day and the general attitude is becoming more and more helpful the country. http://blogs.dw.de/womentalkonline/2011/12/20/challenges-in-the-workplace-working-women-in-pakistan

The problem that working women face:
Our research work conformed us that the employment has a very positive effect on women and their family. Despite this, women still encountered many problems. One such difficulty is Believe that men and women have different leadership style. The leadership style somehow reduces the effectiveness of working women. The main thing is that women are thought to be people-oriented and men are thought to be task-oriented. The behavior of men and women in work place is almost same. Another problem is faced by women are stress caused by roll conflict or many roll in same working field. There is family work conflict also cause a serious problem. Different negotiation style s of men and women also tend in to exhibit a different communication style.

Dealing with work place problem:

It is necessary for a working woman to find the management strategy best for her because the family needs of all women are neither homogenous nor static. For example, child bearing employees may require leave time; mothers of preschoolers may need childcare and a reduced work schedule in order to support the emotional needs of their children. Women with older children may need after-school assistance and, perhaps, a more flexible work schedule. Courageous women are 100 percent responsible for how they design their lives.

The concept of women’s empowerment and the extent:
The concept of women’s empowerment indicates the process of enhancing and supporting women’s capabilities and enforcing their reality by escalating participation in development aspects and recognizing the duties and obligations, as well as providing the cultural, financial, moral and educational means to empower women’s participation in decision making and resource allocation at the levels of family and public life. Divorce rate due to women jobs:

By studding different articles, it is somehow the reason of working women, due to their pressure of jobs they are not been able to give proper time to their family and all this things increase communication gapes in b/w husband and wife, and at the end divorce is the last option in most of the cases. http://jy3502.hubpages.com/hub/Working-Moms-Face-Diverse-Challenges

Introduction to literature review:
In this literature we will discuss the working women and their challenges. In the research which is conducted by Muhammad Habib , Ali Uzair Rana ,Mashood iqbal , Hassan saleem identifies the difficulties face by working women faced in the work field and household. In this literature review we will discuss such sort of difficulties Men and women are pillars of society, without their equal participation in all spheres of life no society can progress properly. As far as the capabilities of women are concerned, they are no less than men the main reason about behind working of women are financial problems and other social issues. These reasons have not only increased the number of working women in all spheres of life, but also have improved the acceptability of their non-conventional contribution towards society. This development has also resulted in emergence of new challenges to which we need to adjust without compromising the positive features of our indigenous social construct. Discussing the problems of working women, we will explain that they have to face different types of difficulties and harassments.

Harassment, in different manifestations from staring and stalking to sexual advances. Women do not generally feel intellectually challenged in their pursuits; rather they face psychological pressures, which restrict their active participation in work. Such annoying behavior is not limited to any specific society or any section of society even the employers, highly educated bosses and government officials, also cause concerns. Due to these psychological pressures women are feeling depressed and worried. Women play dual role in her life .she play one of the roles as working women and off the job she has also play another role of mother, sister, wife. Due to the work pressure and working condition women face lots of problems in the both roles. They cannot play this role as effective as hose wife; woman can play that is why this is the main reason of increasing divorce rate throughout the world. In this researching study we also make recommendation how society can gives equal rights in every field of life as men have. by adopting these recommendation women can feel satisfy with herself and can enjoy life in better ways .in this way the increasing divorce rate will automatically be reduced and the intense feeling would be reduced.

Main body:
This study aims to study the problems of employed women’s. Men and women are pillars of society, without their equal participation in all spheres of life no society can progress properly. As far as the capabilities of women are concerned, they are no less than men. Women play a vital role in economic development of society, yet their contribution is rarely acknowledged. Persuading a career out of home does not normally find encouraging responses. Workplace is considered men’s domain and earning of women is taken as a disgrace. Gupta, (1960) said that there were some forces, religious taboos and social customs that prevent the free flow of women labor to seek employment in large numbers. These restrictions are now weakening day by day and the general attitude is becoming more and more helpful.In my point of view in our society mostly people are very religious and narrow minded they are not consider women’s as a part of society they consider woman as their own property .they cannot gives women equal right in society. As for as our report is concern there are few reason why women are working because of the financial as well as other social factors .

Because in these days the earning of a single member of the family is not enough for the survival in the society. single member earning is very small with these salary package woman cannot take better look after of their children to reduce these difficulties woman are working in different departments of life with equally man. Although men are powerful then the women and they can lots of physical task in greater ratio as for as women cannot do these sort of physical task equally to the men. . She join PepsiCo as a senior vice president of PepsiCo but due her talents and extraordinary management ability she was permuted to the president and CEO of a PepsiCo company, woman proof herself in every died of life and they have proof they can also work equally to the man’s if they have provided equal opportunities. These factors have not only increased the number of working women in all spheres of life, but also have improved the acceptability of their non-conventional contribution towards society. This development has also resulted in emergence of new challenges to which we need to adjust without compromising the positive features of our indigenous social construct.

Discussing the problems of working women, she explained that they have to face different types of difficulties and harassments. Harassment, in different manifestations from staring and stalking to sexual advances, is fear for many of them. Women do not generally feel intellectually challenged in their pursuits; rather they face psychological pressures, which restrict their active participation in work. Such annoying behavior is not limited to any specific society or any section of society; even the employers, highly educated bosses and government officials, also cause concerns. Adam Stephan (1982) in his research article define that the employment has a positive effect for women and families. Despite this conclusion, women still encounter a number of difficulties and misperceptions that affect their performance in the workplace.

One such difficulty is the belief that men and women have different leadership styles .Naturally women have soft nature they cannot adopt strict behavior as men can adopt so in this situation some woman have lack of leadership quality but some woman have great and extraordinary leadership quality and with this sort of leadership style they woman can produce better result and can control the whole organization in a properly planned manner. Leadership styles attributed to women are believed to reduce their effectiveness in the workplace. Specifically, women are thought to be more .people-oriented in their leadership style and men more task-oriented. The people-oriented leadership style of women is viewed as less likely to inspire productivity among workers. Ender stereotyping is a problem that working women must deal with.In our point of view some jobs are more suitable for woman as compare to the man like women find employment easily as nurses, doctors, teachers the caring and nurturing sectors, Because we have already discuss that the women have very soft heart in nature they can take better look after of humanism so in these sort of jobs woman are more qualified then the man.

But even if well qualified women engineers or managers or geologists are available, preference will be given to a male of equal qualification .Thomas (1990) state that the Women on the way up the corporate ladder discover that they must be much better than their male colleagues to reach the top. Once at the top male colleagues and subordinates often expect much greater expertise and efficiency from a woman boss than from a male boss. The Another united state researcher john Brittney (1967) concluded in his result that very commonly faced by working woman’s is that the woman almost always shoulder the burden of household chores as well. A woman could still bear up with these problems if she had control over the money she earns. But in most families even now her salary is handed over to father, husband or in-laws. So the basic motive for seeking employment of getting independence is nullified in many women’s case.

In work field woman has a burden of organization and working responsibilities in offices woman play role as a manager, secretary, coworker .HR manager etc. in spite of these responsibilities woman has also perform many responsibilities outside the work field. She can be a mother. She can be a wife; she can be daughter etc so she has a burden of household cord. And because of these dual responsibilities and lots of burden of work woman feel unsatisfied with her and cannot enjoy color of life as men can. So this is the main hurdle in the development and progress of woman’s. Barnett and Hyde, (2001), conclude that the empirical studies they reviewed challenge gender differences predictions of earlier theories. The behavior of men and women in the workplace is similar.In my point of view differences may have existed in the past but these differences are rapidly disappearing.

Perhaps what needs to be examined is why these differences are disappearing. I also agree with the writer point of view is that the woman consider not good in workplace in the past days because people of older times were narrow minded and they were not accepting woman as a part of society but now a days this concept is going to disappear and woman is to be consider as a part of society and consider to be play a vital role in the society. And woman has also proved herself in every field of life that is why woman is considering a strong part of society. Many women are struggle with finding better ways to balance work and life and often this guilt comes from outside sources like pressure from husbands, family, and friends. Some (wealthier) women has travel by private jet to have more time with their families, while others, like billionaire and super entrepreneur Marilyn Carlson Nelson(1998) believe that women should not feel guilty about having a passion for work. I also agree with the writers arguments Woman has to work with great passion they do not feel any guilty in workplace and they should make their best efforts in the workplace to prove that they can work equally to the men and they have also be consider as a part of society.

In this way if a woman works with great passion and they have no family pressure and they show better interest in workplace then the woman work output will be greater than man because woman work in workplace with great attention then a man work. The Federal Government offers many programs and resources to help business women. But the government is also one of the worst offenders when it comes to discriminating against women in regards to awarding federal contracts. Knowing the resources available to you, can help you compete better in both the private sector and for Federal contracts. Woman has always shortage of resources for workplace .the major shortage of resources include their convince problem. Majority woman cannot have their own convince to go workplace for work so they has to travel in public transport to go to the workplace for work in this way faces lots of problems. Many women cannot work because of the shortage of these resources. Public transport system is overcrowded and men take advantage of the circumstances to physically harass women.

Simmons (1992) in his research work defines that the Colleagues offer unwanted attention which can still be shaken off but a woman is placed in a difficult situation if the higher officer demands sexual favors if woman has adopted public transport option or any other option to go to the workplace for work then it would be very costly and expensive. I will recommend that the if woman took step properly to overcome this problem for working woman then the ratio of working woman will automatically increase in double ratio. Woman will come in the field with great passion and work with great interest. In this way government can increase their production level and can increase economy level. Technological advancement results in retrenchment of women employees. No one thinks of upgrading their skills. Maternity leave is seldom given. It is much easier to terminate the woman employment and hire someone else in the workplace. Trade Unions also do little to ameliorate the lot of women workers.

Women’s issues do not occur on the priority list of most of the trade unions. Women going to work are often subject to sexual harassment. If woman worker have senior male colleagues then majority woman face sexual harassment from their senior male colleagues .If refused the boss can easily take it out on the woman in other ways to make life miserable for her. If woman reject the offers of their senior ones then the woman lots of difficulty in many situation like the seniors ones pressurize her to accept the his offer in every situation. Sometime woman face this scenario in the form of rejecting in the workplace and ask to go to the home. So this is a great drawback of our society I think woman should not face any sort of sexual harassment not only for the senior male colleagues also for their scale level and junior ones and woman has authority to work with great freedom.

There have been several cases of sexual harassment recently involving even the senior women officials. There are some minority cases in which many women find reading the success stories, tips, and advice from other women who are already successful in business helpful and inspiring. Women in business feature profiles of famous business women, as well as small businesses owned by successful women entrepreneurs, and working moms to encourage you on your own path to success. If a woman is praised for her work or promoted on merit, her colleagues do not hesitate to attribute it to sexual favors. The psychological pressure of all this can easily lead to a woman quitting her job. In my openion most of the problems that working women are in reality rooted in the social perspective of the position of women. Traditionally men are seen as the bread winner and women as the house-keepers, child bearers and readers .This typecast role model continues to put obstacles before the working women. A fundamental change is required in the attitudes of the employers, policy makers, family members and other relatives and the public at large.

SUGGESSIONS:

• The negative attitudes of the society members can be changed through awareness raising programs of media. • Special buses and transport can be provided to the employed women. • Working conditions should be improved to some extent up to the desires of women. • Additional allowances should be provided them for enhancing their interest in their jobs.

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