Moalims

One of Pakistan’s most promising achievements has been the acceptance of working women into society. Nowhere is this more apparent than in its corporate sector, where firms are struggling for gender parity amongst their workforce on a daily basis. Currently, women occupy 5% of corporate leadership positions in Pakistan, as per the Women@Work report published by Engage Consulting in 2013. This was the first-ever study of gender diversity in Pakistan’s corporate sector.

On a more social scale, prospective mothers-in-law now acknowledge the benefits of an educated and earning daughter-in-law who can share the financial stress with their sons. This change may not have become a norm all over Pakistan yet, but it is clear that slowly and gradually, this is where our society is headed. Even though it is uncertain what exactly could have prompted this change, one can safely conclude that the outcome is positive for Pakistan at large.

But despite such developments, a closer inspection of our female workforce reveals a lack of stringent career paths. Thousands of Pakistani women now head off to their respective workplaces every morning and even look after their homes simultaneously, but few of them boast of a following detailed career plan. While stable jobs might help put food on the table, they are not necessarily leading women towards personal or professional growth. In fact, they might not be utilising the education, experiences and skillsets of the women in the first place.

To be clear, one must note that a successful career does not always have to imply handsome remuneration. Many people, male or female, switch jobs in search of greater income and corporate benefits. Careers, on the other hand, require passion, hard work and a greater commitment to the job at hand.

Working for the sake of working

In order to build a sound career in any field of work, it is imperative for an individual to be highly determined, skilled and most importantly, patient. Unfortunately, few people — even in today’s competitive corporate climates — possess such qualities and often find themselves stuck in a rut between home and work. Women in particular are percieved to be ‘killing time’ at meager jobs with little or no intention to further themselves. In fact, it has been seen that they switch fields, firms and roles with greater frequency than their male counterparts.

Perhaps a great example of this would be the astonishing number of young girls taking admission into medical schools and even passing through but not working as doctors. The incidence of this phenomenon had become so high that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) was recently forced to implement a 50% quota for male and female med-students to safeguard its resources. The reasoning behind this might be a lack of familial support or an inability to maintain a work-life balance. For most women, teaching is the most common fall-back option as it is assumed to be relatively easier and less time-consuming. According to Ayesha Bano, a HR manager at FAST University, many women take up teaching (or other jobs) for mere entertainment or respite from their in-laws. “I have found that nearly 90% of our teachers are either looking to marry or trying to escape from their in-laws,” says Ayesha. “It is rather sad but they are simply passing time and earning some cash while at it.” What is overlooked is the fact that teaching is actually much more demanding as a profession for it impacts society directly.

One might argue that the roots of the problem lie in the makeup of Pakistani society wherein the woman is expected to be the homemaker and disparaged for wanting more than that. No matter how intelligent or ambitious she may be, her most esteemed role is said to be within the home and for society that ought to be the extent of her ambitions. With such preconceived notions, it is hardly surprising that when push comes to shove, careers almost always take a backseat.

Are careers and jobs always mutually exclusive?

As per educationist Naureen Khan’s* 15 years of experience, the discrepancy between one’s career and job is not as black and white as personal versus professional life. There are multitudinal layers in between which must be taken into consideration. “For instance, not everyone resigns from teaching to become a housewife. There are some who do indeed leave it but in favour of banking or corporate jobs,” says Naureen. “Also, back in my time, there were a lot of female employees in the corporate sector but that translated into growth and long-term careers for teachers such as myself.”

Then there are individuals such as 23-year-old Fatima Rizvi whose passion for education is the driving force behind every decision she has undertaken thus far. “I have a career, not a job,” claims Fatima. “I have been taking certifications for O and A levels while I was in college myself. In fact, I taught A-level students during my last year too. I have been working towards teaching since the very beginning.” With this fervour and a Master’s degree in educational leadership from the prestigious University of Warwick in England, Fatima is gearing for a thriving career and changing the stigma attached to teaching in Pakistan. “It makes me sad when I see women using teaching as a mere stepping stone to another job,” she adds.

The other side of the coin

A question that comes to mind is exactly to what extent one can attribute our shortcomings to society. After all, is it not us who comprise it and hold the power to change it? Sana Masood, a corporate advisor at a local investment firm, highlights an interesting aspect of the debate between careers and jobs, saying that it is not solely women who face the problem. “Developing a career is one’s personal decision. It requires them to invest in themselves for years and not everyone has it in them to do so,” explains Sana. “While on the one hand women do face greater obstacles in their professional development, on the other, there are many men who lack careers and lose themselves in run-of-the-mill jobs too.” She also points out how a great proportion of our middle and upper classes can afford domestic help and thereby enable themselves to lead full careers. “There are plenty of women who overcome social and familial deterrents and end up with fulfilling careers.” Ayesha agrees, saying that frequent job changes might simply be indicative of strong likes and dislikes. “I myself remained unsure about my career for long time,” shares Ayesha, “Then I happened to come across a mentor on one of my experimental stints who was successful and had also raised two children! A lot of my inspiration comes from her.”

Mavra Bari, the brains behind Islamabad-based female entrepreneurship center We Create, also believes that women around the world are breaking barriers and going against the grain. “I have seen that women who desire careers or their own businesses face immense hurdles which do make them sway at times,” says Mavra. “However, simultaneously, there are many in the 18-35 age bracket that are not seeking conventional jobs. They have foresight of what they want to accomplish and understand the difference between being a cog in the machine and a game-changer.” According to Mavra, many of the hopefuls who apply to We Create explicitly state in their applications they want to become entreprenuers to challenge status quo and contribute to society. Nimrah Karim, Project manager at WomenX Pakistan, lends credence to Mavra’s claim, stating that the modern Pakistani woman is pursuing fields which match her talents and interests. “There has recently been a spike in the prevalence of female-owned and run enterprises, across technology, health, fashion and food,” says Nimrah. “This is very advantageous for women as they can run the business from their very homes.”

Perhaps what Sana implies is that success depends largely on each individual and how determined they are to hurtle themselves ahead, regardless of their gender or occupation. “It is really upsetting when girls with great degrees from reputed institutions do not utilise themselves,” says HR professional Kiran Laeeq. “Personally, I feel like one of the most empowering things for an individual is to allow them to do as they please. If women are allowed to follow their dreams, many of our problems can be eradicated.” After three years of working within the job market, Kiran has learned that a change of such epic proportion can only be piecemeal. “The situation is improving, albeit slowly. I hope that the template of a woman — as seen by our society — will change too.”

Hafsah Sarfraz (Name has been changed due to protect privacy)
Hafsah Sarfraz is a reporter for The Express Tribune in Islamabad