History has witnessed an oppressive behavior of men against women and perceived them as secondary citizens who are not allowed to live their own lives according to their wishes. The dignity of women has been undermined. The Seneca Falls Convention was the first in the history of mankind to talk about the rights of women, declare the importance of women, and raise the consciousness among women about their rights.
However, a major shift was marked in the 19th century when the first wave of the feminist movement embarked on the journey to gain political suffrage rights, which created a great impact, and many countries gave women the right to vote. After observing a gap in the first wave, notable feminist personalities started to organize the second wave of feminism, focusing on broader social inequalities, education, reproductive rights, and family roles. The third wave started to focus on intersectionality, diversity, and individuality, and other following feminist movements hold great importance in achieving the rights of women globally.
What kind of Society have we become, where a mainstream political party rejects the bill and wishes to legalize marrying little girl children?
The Beijing Convention universally declared women’s rights as universal human rights and bound all countries to follow the declaration. However, although several countries have achieved gender equality and are among developed countries now, many others continue to lag.
The contribution of women in the economy has made some nations among the largest economies in the world. Unfortunately, some countries are still lagging in mainstreaming women into politics, the economy, and other social systems of society. Pakistan is one of the countries ranking among the worst in the gender equality index report. Despite the rule of liberal politicians and democratic governments, the women of Pakistan have been deprived of equal opportunities in the country to grow.
Across education, health, security, employment, and political power, Pakistan has deep structural gender inequalities, ranking last in global reports. For instance, Pakistan ranked second last in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025, with an overall parity score is about 56.7%, which is very low. In political empowerment, the country dropped from 12.2% (2024) to 11% in 2025; women in ministerial roles also fell this year. Only 22.8 % of women are part of the labor force. Nearly 50% of women lack basic education. Intimate partner violence is rampant in the country, and 75% of women face intimate partner violence and harassment. According to a Survey, rape occurs every two hours and gang rape every hour in Pakistan.
The prevalence of the patriarchal system and the hold of religious parties are hindering progress in the context of women’s rights. The Political-Mullah nexus is further eroding the capacity of the state to formulate women-friendly policies. The recent Child Marriage Act is a good step by the government of Pakistan, but unfortunately, the religious mainstream party showed dissent and called for protests against the bill.
Similarly, honor killings are increasing. The case of a US national 14-years-old girl killed by her father and uncle, the death of TikToker Sana Yusuf, and many other girls killed simply for displaying themselves on TikTok and other apps are gruesome acts. The increasing Incel culture where men are frustrated due to rejection or denial of sex, often blaming women and society is becoming a major issue globally. The victimhood mindset of men, misogynistic beliefs, frustration over denial by women, and anger toward feminism are becoming the norm in our society. The Sana Yusuf death is a case point.
When a daughter is taught silence and a son entitlement by society, justice becomes a casualty, and dignity is a forgotten dream.
Pakistan is becoming one of the worst countries for women to live in. Steps must be taken to empower women’s dignity in the country. Despite the presence of legislation and laws, implementation is absent, and the justice system does not guarantee the victim justice immediately. The real statistics are far beyond our imagination, as many people avoid lodging FIRs due to family honor.
We don’t know how many girls are raped in the country or how many innocent women are buried to death for choosing their way of living. The Incel and patriarchal mentality is endangering the peace of our society and causing great concerns for the safety of our women. We need to overcome silence and collectively confront misogyny and incel culture at the toxic roots while building a society where every woman lives with freedom, dignity, and fearlessness.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.
