The continuous inflation in the cost of living in Pakistan over the decades has brought about a situation where a man’s wage is no longer sufficient to keep the family content. Therefore in the last few decades there was a continuous pressure to broaden the base of the family economy.

Gradually and steadily, more and more women were forced to find jobs to supplement family incomes. The change is visible and quite striking. Initially only a few occupations were thought to be respectable enough for such women. As the pressure for jobs increased the concept of a ‘respectable job’ was progressively broadened to take in a wider range of jobs.

Youthful women are more aware of their identities, their capabilities and are definitely more ambitious. The inflation and exposure through media has opened minds in the Pakistani society, where parents feel confident that their daughters can also be successful in lives.

Similarly, young men want to choose sanguine women as wives who can be more of a partner than just glorified maids who would cook and look after kids. Time has also come to an extent when women, in some instances, themselves choose to be housewives. And one thing the Pakistani woman will always enjoy is the respect and acceptance of her decision to be a housewife. She can make the choice to work in case of need too.

Education is the key to acceptable and respectable jobs and careers. Lower middle class families would find it degrading to let their women take up jobs as domestic servants or to work on the factory floor i.e. jobs for which education is not a pre-requisite. But families who expect their women to take up jobs as teachers or office clerks (or better) tend therefore to put a higher value on women’s education than was the case before – though financing the education of son’s still takes precedence.