Women Rights in Pashtunwali

[Manzareh]

Does the Pashtun culture degrade women?

your honest thoughts and ideas please..

[Shayesta]

That's what I could like to know as well. What does the Pukhtunwali code say regarding women?

[AnGaaR]

should i write a book with Millions of NO,Nos in it?
most of Us are worse than arabs

[Shayesta]

^ Things I read about women in Pukhtunwali in this book written by a Pakistan observing Pukhtoons, it didn't look very pretty.

[Shehbaz Khan]

To be very frank, till now I lived in a society (my village) not following all the codes and conducts of Pakhtunwali like tribal culture, Jirgah etc etc .. !!

But I've observed many things in the tribal culture that are really against women..

For Example even today Women are not allowed to do jobs here and there.. Don't tell me that you have got female members over here That's just a minority right?

Secondly what you all think about Swara? Like If I am mad and I go out kill someone my sister is supposed to pay for it?

[Feroza_Banu]

the only right a woman is given under pashtoonwali is to guard her honor (izzat) ... i still have never read anything anywhere about other rights of women in pashtoonwali...

if you guys have..please share with source.

[Shehbaz Khan]

I am also waiting if somebody is sharing ..

[Feroza_Banu]

Since Pashtunwali isn't written down anywhere, I think we might be asking for a bit too much if we want to be told of what women's rights in Pashtunwali are WITH sources. No?

.

the problem is tht women's right issue is not even passed down orally in pashtoonwali.

and the reason why i say with source is because u will find many who wll claim whatever in this website without any proof.

the truth of the matter is that women are pretty much ignored in pashtoonwali

women are not talked about in pashtoon societies because it is a matter of shame to talk about your own women or anyone else's women or even women in general. the only code "orally passed down" from generations about pashtanas is that "don't talk about them"... i can never imagine pashton man in afghanistan or pakistan waking up one day and saying "today i will call for jirga and our topic of discussion will be womens and their rights"

bahahah... not possible!

[Toramana]

I will say women are denied rights in tradional Pashtun culture and Pashtunwali....e.g., no right to education, right to inheritance, to choose a profession, marriage consent, etc.

But then things are changing as well...now a days generally girls consent is sought in marriage and equal emphasis is placed on women education...

[Roshina]

James, for the exact same reason that women were not allowed to go to school until recent decades. As you might know, no code established prior to the 19th century saw or has seen women as worthy of education or given equal merit than men were. No code before the 18th century allowed women to be educated, at least in practice, because society fears educated women (which to me means that women know how to use their intellect far better and more effectively than men do :D I mean, why else would we be denied education since the beginning of time until like the late 19th century or so? But okay, okay, I will leave it at that!). The concept of women's education is rather "modern" and "new." What year did the first woman in humanity get her PhD in? Wanna guess?

But, like I said earlier, there's nothing IN Pashtunwali that says no education for women. It's simply people's fear of progression, of moving forward, of letting go of a past because we humans fear the unpredictable so much, and educating women means not knowing what to expect.

Anyway, it's double standards, something that EVERY society, EVERY religion, EVERY custom is drowning in but each one denies it and points fingers at another. Each one has its own justification, however ridiculous they may sound to you or me or others. But oh those double standards are there. We just see faults only in other people's beliefs and practices, not in our own.

[Wrayun]

Pukhtoon women suffer no more than Pukhtoon men. Only an educated man can understand the importance of an educated woman, when majority of the Pukhtoon men are uneducated, how can you expect Pukhtoon women to be educated? You want educated Pukhtoon women, educate the men!

To understand the situation of education or professionalism when it comes not just women amongst Pukhtoons, but also men, we have to look at the psychological and social environment in its entirety. Pukhtoons are a tribal people, and like most tribal societies they are self sufficient in many ways. They grow and produce their own food, they live on their own lands, they have their own tribal governments, and the monetary system in place doesn't belong to them since they don't own the banks. They have been truly INDEPENDANT, in every sense of the word, and had a genuine system of FREE TRADE (they are known for being traders). Because of their structure, for generations, they never deemed it necessary to evolve further economically, due to which importance on "education" has always been secondary not only for girls but also boys. Boys mostly enjoy and live off their ancestrail land. It is only when there is no more land that they are forced to work, and others, understanding the importance of education and professionalism, send their kids to school. And what are the most often professions? Doctor and Engineer! Why? Simply, according to them, they PAY GOOD!

Pukhtoon respect and honor their women, and thus far their social and economical environment did not encourage an educated and working class of women. That is rapidly changing in many areas, where those Pukhtoons who no longer depend on the traditional tribal structure that provided for them are readily making education available for not just the boys but also their girls. As the material and economical need of Pukhtoons grow larger, and when circumstances demand it, Pukhtoon men and women will be acquiring education in droves.

Same thing with "RIGHTS", its economics again. The richer the Pukhtoon, you'll notice that the more freedom his women enjoy. The poorer the Pukhtoon, the less freedom the women of his family enjoy.

There is nothing in Pukhto (Pukhtoonwale) that is against education of girls or boys. There are some Pukhtoon customs that curtail women rights in ways, but education is not one of them. The biggest issue when it comes to education and women/girls midst Pukhtoons is adequate facilities and segregation. Not a fear of the intellectual capacity of women.

The issue is a economical one as much as some would like to state that it is a unique "cultural" phenomenon.

Education, rights, and voting power for women in the West happened in the same way. It is thanks to the Industrial Revolution that made it possible for women in the West to get most of their "rights" including the right to VOTE, and the age of consent was moved from 12/13 in many states to 16/18 because they didn't want women sitting home becoming mamas at such a young age. They wanted them to be professionals, working and producing. They didn't just wake up one morning and had a moral epiphany.

Another example is the Gulf Arab states, they are educating their women, but not allowing them to work. That is only because they don't need a working force of women (their stupidity), or for that matter men. They are sustained thus far by their OIL money. Everyone eats, drives BMW's, NO WORRIES! Once that oil money runs out, Saudi women will not only be allow to drive, they'll be shuttling rockets to space if required. Necessity!



-Now, Pukhtoonwale as a whole, and women rights/issues. That's a big subject...next time.

[roadrunner]

Pashtunwali honors women, but I am not so sure about rights. Women in our culture are usually house wives while the men are the bread winners. Compared to western civilizations, I don't think they have any rights at all. The only reason so many women are on PF is because they are all from the west and they have received education. Traditional Pashtanas are uneducated.

You can't compare western civilization and Pashtun culture. Western civilization is prosperous currently, Pashtun culture is not. Poor cultures in South America are also male dominated.

[drona]

Prosperity has nothing to do with women's rights. The Khasis, Nairs, and Bunt of India are matriarchal castes but are dirt poor. Saudis are filthy rich, but every one knows what kind of rights their women have.

[Shehbaz Khan]

What is your meaning of Pakhtunwali? The state of mind in which a Pakthun lives?

[Shehbaz Khan]

^ O_o ??