
This article is written by Hudaibia Iftikhar, a blogger working in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan. Despite being highly educated, she holds a masters in mass communications, she is unable to leave home to work because of the strict rules imposed on women which prevent her from working alongside male journalists.
Here Hudaibia explains the impact of societal restraints for women and her hopes for the future.
One day, as I was sitting on the lawn with my family enjoying some gossip, the woman living next door paid a visit. She was quiet and worried.
She explained how inflation was affecting her life. She was struggling to understand how she would be able to feed her children and pay their education fees.
Her visit made me think. Women struggle daily trying to secure their family's future, but their voices are consistently ignored. So why is there such an ignorant attitude towards women who constantly use their conflict resolution skills? And, if they are responsible caretakers of their families, then why not for their nation?
The sole solution is if women get a chance at leadership.
Article author, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Societal constraints present major obstacles for women. One example is the tradition of Swara in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The custom is that if a person kills someone, one of the women from the murderer's family should be given to the bereaved family as compensation. A 23-year-old innocent woman named Sana Gul went through this harrowing experience. Her brother killed a neighbour in a row over a path owned by Sana's family. The Jirga, a council of elders who decide village cases, agreed that Sana should be given in marriage to the murdered man's brother. Although illegal, the law is rarely enforced. Male elites and societal constraints deprive women of their rights to reject the Swara.
After the Russian invasion of the neighbouring country of Afghanistan in 1979, a faction of radical scholarship in Pakistan influenced the population, forcing women away from politics and thereby from performing leadership roles. Some religious scholars proclaimed fatwas, a religious mandate, that living under women's leadership is not lawful.
So what's the solution? Suppose the Pakistan government passed a bill providing more protection to women? How would it be implemented and how would people be made more aware? How much time would it take for the whole cycle - from legislation to execution to the judiciary - to work? The sole solution is if women get a chance at leadership.
Women leaders understand womens needs Limited participation of women in Pakistan's politics affects not only a female's rights but also legislation. Since the inception of Pakistan, there has been competition for political power between the male elites of the country. The female population is 51%. There is a need for more strong female personalities to become role models and motivate other women into knowing their strengths and values.
Four times martial law has fast disrupted democracy, taking the country backwards. Fatima Jinnah, Benazir Bhutto, Sheerin Mazari and Maryam Nawaz are just a few women who've entered the political arena but in the male-dominated political world, leadership is harsh for women. Pakistan has fewer women participating in politics than neighbouring India. The city Uttar Pradesh (UP) which has a population nearly equal to Pakistan, has reserved 40 percent of its assembly seats for women.
If women political leaders enter government, it will be easier for them to understand the issues that affect females. They can help implement the bills that have been passed by the assembly regarding women's rights, but have not been enforced up till now. In 2020, Pakistan's parliament passed a law to stop the abductions of under age girls. The Zainab Aalert Bill, named after a six-year-old girl who was abducted, raped and murdered, seeks to expedite the investigation and punishment of perpetrators of child abuse.
One can break the chains of societal constraints and be an example for other women
Article author, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Breaking through the stereotypes The stereotypical perception in Pakistan is that the title of leader' does not suit women because they are more prone to domestic violence and emotions'. In other words, a womans fear of her reputation being damaged, can also be the factor that stops her from participating in politics or taking on leadership roles. But despite Khyber Pakhtunkhwa being a conservative society, some women have broken through these stereotypes and achieved leadership positions. Shakeela Naz, the first female member of Takht Bhai Bar Council, began practising as a lawyer in 2019. She is also the first female Vice President of any bar council in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
In a seminar, Shakeela Naz explained that expectations are shifting, and women are playing an active role in jobs which were once considered limited to men only. She has managed and arranged several seminars raising awareness of women's rights at local and national levels.
When we see women like Shakeela Naz who fight for their rights, and brave women on our television screens like Marriyum Aurangzeb, Information Minister of Pakistan, who have overcome hurdles to achieve prominence in society, their struggles and hard work make us feel proud. We feel that in future we will not be constrained by the term male dominance', but will instead lead our lives unreservedly.
In conclusion, women face many challenges and barriers. The question of participation and leadership in Pakistan is still a highly challenging one. There are many who question whether women should be given opportunities to represent their nation internationally or be limited to staying in the home. One can break the chains of soc
More from Thomson
01/05/2025
As Tanzania approaches a pivotal election year marked by both promise and concern over the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on media, more than 300 journa...
23/04/2025
In 2024, Thomson's Total Turnout project played a pivotal role in elevating ethical election reporting and strengthening journalist safety in Pakistan.
Wit...
16/04/2025
At a time when Sudanese women journalists face unprecedented challenges, She Speaks Sudan has provided a critical platform for training, mentorship, and collabo...
15/04/2025
As women in Afghanistan are stripped of their rights - banned from education, barred from public life and rendered invisible - a number of women journalists con...
14/04/2025
Rwanda's vulnerability to climate change is underscored by its ranking of 124th out of 182 countries in the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative's in...
19/03/2025
Applications are open for the second cycle of the Validation Booster programme, offering European media outlets, networks, and content creators the opportunity ...
07/03/2025
Increasing restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan is forcing women journalists take extraordinary risks to their own safety to tell their stories.
The ...
21/01/2025
Two senior war reporters from the BBC and Sky News have joined an outstanding array of experts in a unique series of training courses for journalists covering p...
16/01/2025
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Mundy as Thomsons new Director of Research, Policy and Impact. Gary will join the organisation in March 2025,...
15/01/2025
The buzz around artificial intelligence (AI) in journalism reached a crescendo a...
08/01/2025
A landmark document examining key issues into how the media industry is grappling with the challenges of explaining how its using AI in its publications and bro...
30/12/2024
Leaving Thomson after 21 years, former Managing Director David Quin reflects on a career spent navigating the shifting sands of global media development. From r...
20/12/2024
Podcasting has become one of the most popular ways to tell stories and connect with audiences, but getting started can be intimidating, especially when it comes...
16/12/2024
Thomson's Executive Learning Series wrapped up its 2024 calendar with a landmark event in Prague. The AI in Media masterclass brought together 24 media lead...
13/12/2024
Reporting in secret under the oppressive shadow of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, ...
04/12/2024
Somaiyah Hafeez, one of this year's finalists for Thomson's Young Journalist of the Year Award, had a transformative visit to London. As the only finali...
26/11/2024
A woman journalist from Afghanistan has been named Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2024.
The journalist, who we are not naming for her ow...
13/11/2024
Award-winning journalists from the Western Balkans and T rkiye break new ground with impactful investigations on healthcare, environmental threats, human rights...
05/11/2024
Somaiyah Hafeez, a journalist and writer from Balochistan, Pakistan, stands out for her commitment to telling the stories of overlooked communities in her regio...
05/11/2024
Aisha Farrukh a multimedia journalist from Pakistan focuses on human interest stories and aims to create change through her storytelling. Twenty eight year old ...
05/11/2024
One of the three finalists for the Young Journalist of the Year 2024 is a woman journalist working in secret in Afghanistan because of the restrictions imposed ...
31/10/2024
Three journalists whose stories give a voice to people who are oppressed or marginalised have been chosen as the finalists for the 2024 Young Journalist of the ...
16/10/2024
We are pleased to announce that Federica Varalda has been appointed as Managing Director - Development for the Thomson Group. She will be leading project develo...
23/09/2024
Reporting from a female journalist who is working in secret due to Taliban restr...
30/07/2024
We caught up with Yara El Murr, winner of the Young Journalist Award 2023, to find out how her life has changed since scooping the main prize for her investigat...
23/07/2024
Brussels was the location of our third Thomson Talks with Madhav Chinnappa held on 25 June 2024, focused on the specific subject of AI/News & Regulation. Four k...
03/07/2024
AI's integration into journalism has sparked a mix of enthusiasm and scepticism across Central Europe, according to research led by Thomson Foundation in co...
01/07/2024
This was such a confidence boost and so much motivation to keep pushing forward in my work and public service journalism.
Yara El Murr from Lebanon recollecti...
21/06/2024
A new platform dedicated to helping journalists win audience trust and tackle disinformation has been launched and with it a competition offering newsrooms (fro...
30/05/2024
Navigating Strategy, Ethics, and Innovation in the evolving European media lands...
28/05/2024
This is a summary of the report commissioned by Thomson on AI Disinformation Attacks during Taiwans 2024 Presidential Elections, written by Professor Chen-ling ...
13/05/2024
Journalists from the Western Balkans and T rkiye can now submit their investigative stories published in 2023 for the EU Award for Investigative Journalism 2024...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
29/04/2024
A groundbreaking initiative offering training and mentoring to 30 women journali...
23/04/2024
Psychology can play an important role in helping us understand what audiences respond to (Dr Jon Roozenbeek, Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab)
For newsroo...
10/04/2024
A regulator, a technologist and a politician walking into a conference room - the beginning of a very geeky joke - or more accurately, the start of the second T...
09/04/2024
This is a summary of the report commissioned by Thomson on AI Disinformation Attacks during Taiwans 2024 Presidential Elections, written by Professor Chen-ling ...
04/04/2024
This fantastic course will help you understand and fight disinformation, an absolutely essential skill to acquire during this global election season. Sign up an...
02/04/2024
Thomson's work in captive, closed and repressive media landscapes has long been about making sure we get the best possible idea of what people really need f...
28/03/2024
Out of an estimated 20,000 journalists in Pakistan, less than one thousand are women according to a recent Gender Disparity Report published by the Internationa...
15/03/2024
To help empower Sudanese journalists living in exile amidst the ongoing conflict in their homeland, Thomson trainers have been delivering workshops designed to ...
01/03/2024
MoJo is something I want to pursue further and include, not as a last thought, but as a one of the components of my daily work. Michelle Banda Vodacom Young Jou...
23/01/2024
A chance to apply for the new learning programme specifically designed for media...
16/01/2024
This is a summary of the inaugural Thomson Talks with Madhav Chinnappa held on 30 November 2023 focused on the specific subject of AI/News & Disinformation.
Th...
22/12/2023
Pakistan is one of more than 65 countries where decisive elections will take place in 2024 in what will be the biggest election year in history.
Thomson Media ...
19/12/2023
An innovative investigative training programme for Rwandan journalists has resulted in the publication of 15 impactful stories which have prompted widespread ch...
18/12/2023
As 2023 draws to a close, a new chapter begins for Thomson with the appointment of a new member of the team.
Anton Artemyev joins us in January in a new role a...
24/11/2023
The three finalists for the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year 2023 enjoyed an action-packed trip to London which included meeting the Queen, visit...
21/11/2023
Yara El Murr from Lebanon is Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2023.
Yara received the honour at the Foreign Press Association Media Award...
17/11/2023
Yashraj Sharma has seen big changes in his life since he won the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award in 2022.
In the run up to the 2023 winner being anno...