Pakistan: Female Officers Challenge Tradition

From The National in UAE - May 12, 2008

Female officers challenge tradition

Amna R Ali, Foreign Correspondent

ISLAMABAD // It is a thankless task to direct traffic in the afternoon sun. But Anila Altaf, 27, keeps her cool as she conducts a steady stream of cars, vans and buses at a busy intersection in Islamabad.

The sight of women directing traffic is becoming increasingly common in Pakistan's larger cities as women push the gender boundaries and take on jobs traditionally reserved for men.

Many young women said they see the jobs as an opportunity to be independent and distinctive.

"I would have joined any force," said Asma Rauf, 27, who holds a master's degree in education. For others it is economics that drives them to seek a second income for their families. Sumaira Batool, 27, a constable from the Islamabad traffic police, said she and her female colleagues were role models. "My mother was a driving force behind my career, and told me never to back down," she said.

Although more Pakistani women are challenging the status quo that has for decades confined them to traditionally "female occupations" – such as fashion-designing or teaching – deep-rooted opposition to their foray into the police or armed forces has not made the transition easy. "While women are changing their attitude about the kind of work they choose to do, men need to change their outlook on how they view women in a man's domain," said Imran Rizvi, a consultant who conducts gender sensitivity training in the public and private sector.

Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, upheld women's rights as part of his policy of "enlightened moderation", a useful catchphrase for a leader on the front lines of the US-backed "war on terror". He received lavish aid packages to develop Pakistan's moderate image in the face of severe militancy at home.

Critics said his schemes were arbitrary, but many new projects included measures for women to join the mainstream workforce.

Despite censure from the conservative Islamic lobby, his government created a women's ministry, which launched a Gender Reform Action Plan to bring women into the mainstream through participation in politics and the public sector.

More than 40,000 women are employed in local government and 205 in the national and provincial legislatures. Pakistan's police force has for decades hired a small percentage of women, but the growing numbers come with their share of backlash from conservative quarters. Naheed Mukhtar, 27, said her brothers – members of the traffic police in Islamabad – were unhappy when she decided to join, but she did not let that deter her. "I was committed to what I wanted and I'm glad the opportunity came along," she said.

The Islamabad traffic police set up a special unit to recruit female staff two years ago, following the model of the efficient motorway police – the first traffic unit to induct women into the force. But their numbers are still small.

In 2006, Punjab province trained 3,000 graduates to be traffic wardens, 150 of whom were women. Another 33 women were recruited for Rawalpindi. In another development likely to cause controversy, female traffic police in Rawalpindi and Lahore are being trained to use heavy motorcycles.

Despite the country's conservative nature, women in Pakistan have often broken stereotypes. Benazir Bhutto was the country's first female Muslim prime minister, and Fehmida Mirza is the first female parliamentary speaker in the country and in the Muslim world. Ms Bhutto, who led the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), was assassinated in December.

There have been other landmarks for women. In Jan 2006, Pakistan International Airlines, the country's national carrier, made aviation history when an all female crew of four flew a domestic flight with 40 passengers aboard. The airline has a total of six female pilots.

In March 2006, the first four inducted in Pakistan's Air Force received their wings after three years of intensive training.

Female officers have also joined Pakistani men in UN peacekeeping missions in conflict-areas around the world. Khadija Tasneem was the only officer from Islamabad selected to go to East Timor where she spent one year. Internationally, Pakistan ranks 43 out of 128 countries for women's empowerment on the World Economic Forum's 2007 Global Gender Gap Report (GRAP). But the indicators on economic participation of women are still weak, where Pakistan stands at 126.

On the participation of women in the labour force, Pakistan ranked at 121 among 128 countries.

"Pakistan now has a commitment to furthering gender equality through GRAP, but decisions must not be arbitrary," Mr Rizvi said."Gender equality should be built into the system through budgeting commitments and proper institutional restructuring."

Mr Rizvi said that unless men claim the gender disparity as their issue, society will remain patriarchal. "The new government cannot lose focus since changing attitudes is key."

Within the government, the Pakistan Muslim League is seen as the more conservative of the two coalition partners when it comes to women's rights. The next batch of female traffic wardens will be launched in the province's capital of Peshawar in the coming months. "Whether she is a peon or a prime minister, every woman has to be strong when she steps into a male dominated environment," said Ms Tasneem, of the Islamabad traffic police.