#GLM

I call it a myth or fairy-tale if you prefer because it is a subject that is full of lovely pictures and promises yet most often stifled by the main characters of the story! Courtesy: Daily Times I particularly like an article written by Shaikh Abdul Rasheed for Daily Times titled: “Women Empowerment: A distant dream” . He mentions the importance of women taking up leadership and peacemaking roles if more women are to be liberated and empowered to access their rights. But he emphasizes the need for these representational women to be self-determined to make a difference. For example, In Pakistan, although women are given an appropriate representation in the National Assembly, it is just symbolic rather than effective. They have never been seen to take a firm stand against gender disparity or violence against women. A mother-in-law is the greatest judge of her son’s wife and sets unrealistic, unattainable benchmarks for the young lady to surmount before she can be deserving

Alice texted me last week to say she was planning to move out of her matrimonial home. Alice was my childhood friend of about thirty years. She got married when we were twenty-four and had six children in the eight years of her marriage. We often teased her about wanting to give birth to an entire football squad!   With the text I received, it didn’t seem like a football joke anymore. I called her up immediately. “Alice, are you Ok?” I asked, my voice laced with concern. “Yes, I am but I’m just tired” She responded, sounding drained. “Would you like to talk?” I prompted. Responding in the affirmative, She went on to tell me of her recent disagreement with her husband, Philip. He wanted more kids! She went on to tell him that she was tired of being a housewife. She loved her kids but didn’t want more. She wanted to get a job and build a career. The discussion that barely began, ended in a heated argument.   “The worst part was when he said that it was not a negot