The Position of Women in a Society is an Index of Its Civilization
(English Essay – CSS & PMS)
Outline
- Introduction
- Women as the Measure of Civilization
- Women’s Role in Economic Growth and GDP
- The Privileged Position of Women in Western Society
- The Weak Position of Women in Pakistan
- Cases of Suppression and Violence
- Heinous Practices Against Women
- Civilizational Standards and Women’s Rights
- Education and Empowerment of Women in Pakistan
- The Link Between Human Rights and Civilization
- Conclusion
Introduction
According to the proposition, it is the position of women, whether good or bad, which determines the civility of a society. If women are held in respect and are given the due importance they deserve, the society would be branded as civilized. On the contrary, if women are held in contempt in a society and are not given their due rights, the society would earn the epithet of being uncivilized. In other words, the consideration of whether a society is civilized or otherwise is tied to the position of women. It is a narrow measure to determine the position of a society, as many factors are involved in this regard. It may be regarded as a myopic interpretation of civilization.
Women’s Role in Economic Growth and GDP
A society in which women work side by side with men and make their contribution to increase GDP is thought to be a productive one. If the labour force consists only of males, it restricts the scope of economic activity in a society. Women are as productive as men, who can contribute a lot to the economic growth in a society. Hence, the exclusion of women from the labour force means a diminution in GDP. Women work in offices and various departmental stores to earn their own living. They are a productive segment of society and are highly respected. Women work as teachers in schools, colleges, universities and write research papers, which are published in internationally accepted journals. They do not lag in any field of life and contribute to the growth and stability of the society to which they belong. There are no restrictions on the movement of women to move from one occupation to another in search of the highest reward. The society begins to grow owing to the contributions of women in different fields of life.
The Privileged Position of Women in Western Society
Western society thus relies on both men and women to move forward. Women enjoy a great measure of respect in Western society, which entitles them to be called civilized. The privileged position of women confers an honour on Western society. Their rights are upheld at the national level. No one can dare to infringe the rights of women as enshrined in the constitutions of the countries.
The Weak Position of Women in Pakistan
In this, the position of women in Pakistan’s society is weak. They are a victim of male chauvinism, especially in rural society. The male dominates over the female, and the latter has a weak position. Women in rural areas are mostly illiterate and work like oxen from morning till evening. They are engaged in doing domestic chores, apart from bearing children. They do not enjoy their rights as they are at the mercy of the male. They cannot raise their voice against the tyranny and injustice done to them. They silently bear the cruelty of the male. In certain cases, a lady who fails to bear a male child is divorced and can’t demand her genuine rights from the male. It brings a sort of stigma to society. It downgrades society at the domestic and international levels.
Cases of Suppression and Violence
The male feudal element makes certain ladies the worst victims of suppression. Mukhtaran Mai’s case in Pirwala village is still fresh in the minds of the readers. She was made to walk naked in the streets of the village by the cruel forces of landlordism. She was raped mercilessly by the powerful, the cruel. That brought a stigma to Pakistan, as the worldwide mass media highlighted the incident. Pakistan was discredited as a country where women were the wanton victims of male suppression and sexual criminalization.
There is a human rights violation of women, and newspapers carry this news every day. One’s head is bowed down in shame when one reads soul-killing news of women’s human rights violations. The Human Rights Commission in Pakistan often highlights such news, which runs down the image of Pakistan in the eyes of foreign countries.
Heinous Practices Against Women
There are other heinous types of practices like ‘Karo-Kari’ and ‘Marriage with the Quran’. In Baluchistan, some time back, the elders buried some women alive. That raised a great hue and cry in the whole of the country. Thanks to the mass media, the news of burying the ladies alive was splashed throughout the country, bringing a sense of remorse and shame to every sensible person.
The traditional society in Pakistan is riddled with ugly traditions that bring condemnation to the country as a whole. In the province of Sind, the tradition of marriage with the Quran is the most heinous and offensive. To save the ancestral property, the ladies are not married. They are married to the Quran to spend their whole life in isolation.
Civilizational Standards and Women’s Rights
It is a great cruelty to suppress tyrannically the biological urges of young ladies. The women are thus sacrificed at the false crooked altar of the landed element in the Sind. This practice is tantamount to taking away life from the young ladies. Life appears as a drag on ladies, who are kept away from the normal biological course of life.
A society suffering from such abuses and condemnable traditions can hardly earn the title of civilized. It can be regarded as the most brutish and savage. Hence, in societies where women are held in contempt, disrespect cannot be called civilized. Judged from this angle, Pakistan cannot be considered a civilized polity.
Education and Empowerment of Women in Pakistan
The women in Pakistan at the university, at degree levels, are putting up better performance than boys. Women secure a position of distinction in the field of education. That establishes the credentials of hard work and diligence of women. It is a matter of honour and pride for Pakistan as women are taking a lead in different academic disciplines. Women are physically weaker than men, but mend.
The Link Between Human Rights and Civilization
It may be remarked that many other attributes are necessary to call a society civilized (women’s position and respect for them). A society’s dealings with its home and outside people are considered to be a primary condition to judge its stature. If it treats home and foreign people alike and shows no discrimination in this regard, it earns the title of being civilized.
If it meets its obligations honestly, then it is a civilized one. If a society respects human rights without any discrimination, then it deserves to be ranked in the category of civilized. If it upholds human rights at the national level, but disregards them for others, then it is not a civilized one. It could go to any extent to achieve its geo-political objectives, even if it were to perpetrate the worst types of atrocities on the people of other countries. It cannot earn the title of civility.
The USA may have a high respect for human rights for the Americans, but not for Iraqis and Afghans, where it has unleashed an engine of mass destruction. A society is supposed to treat all human beings alike. In the present-day world, human rights are confined to national boundaries. Backward countries, even within their own territories, do not treat all and sundry justly. The rich, the elite classes, receive good treatment at the hands of the government, but the poor are treated shabbily. The economic and social benefits are distributed most unjustly between the rich and the poor classes.
Conclusion
The crux of the foregoing discussion is that respect for women and their status is one of the pre-requisites of the civilization of a society. The latter’s overall behaviour towards human beings (at home as well as abroad) should form the basis of its civility. Moral conduct can’t be ignored in the determination of the civility of a society.
However, the fact remains that women’s position in a society remains the yardstick to consider its civility or otherwise.
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