Superman and the case of Pakistan’s missing gender equality
Written by Zainab Amanullah
Photo by freepik
A shrill cry of help pleading to be rescued is heard coming from Gender Equality, stranded on the 145th floor of a crumbling building. The cry is heard by Superman, who was hanging out with his fellow vigilantes outside, oblivious to their state. Superman, the celestial guardian of patriarchal powers, answers his natural calling, and rushes to rescue the “damsel in distress”.
Flying against gravity and not caring about his own safety, he arrives bathed in the golden rays of a conveniently placed sunset behind his fluttering cape. Moments away from claiming the glory of saving another helpless person, Superman is already subconsciously thinking about the headlines: “The Caped Crusader Saves the Damsel,” or “Thank you, Superman! The City Cries.” But the victim slams a hard break on his intrusive thoughts of glory.
“Hey wait a minute! Wasn’t Gender Equality stuck on floor 142 just last year?” he remembers, flicking back to a headline from 2023 when the World Economic Forum (WEF) stated, “142nd position” for Gender Equality.
And hence ensues an internal debate. The hero raises his eyebrow. Why does Gender Equality keep getting stuck on the floors of crumbling buildings? Is this some sort of annual high-rising ritual of theirs? Then lightning struck, like the realisation of a Marvel superhero: Gender Equality doesn’t know any better.
A loud thunderous groan is heard as the beleaguered building rocks side to side in the air. Gender Equality, who is shocked at Superman standing there and not doing anything, yells at him, pleading frantically, asking him to take some credible action. A loud thud triggers a flashback to last year when at the same time they were stuck on the 142nd level. Gender Equality was calling for help even then, when Superman arrived. But what happened after that?
As the dust from the weathered building begins to settle, Gender Equality remembers. They have been stuck in this same building for years, going up and down floors.
All this time, Gender Equality has been seeing Superman grace billboards in front of the building, doing the rounds of talk shows, speaking voraciously about what he thinks of them, lecturing on what Gender Equality means, and mocking those who raise questions.
So what happened to Superman and when did he turn this bitter?
Maybe remaining in the highest echelons of power has changed him, making him indifferent to suffering and deaf to Gender Equality’s pleadings. Maybe he is comfortable with how things are, and doesn’t want them to change.
Maybe Superman is no longer interested in a solution and he is okay with being a bystander.
As the face-off proceeds between Gender Equality stranded on the 148th floor and Superman maintaining his position at the top, those who have gathered downstairs to celebrate the much-anticipated return of Gender Equality were left to wait without any notice of when it might end.
The irrevocable fact is that according to the WEF, Pakistan has nosedived to second to last position in the Global Gender Gap Report. Pakistan faces significant disparities in labour-force participation, wage equality and representation in senior roles. In the educational sub-index Pakistan ranks 139th, with a staggering 12 million girls who are out of school. The most significant decline has been in women’s involvement and empowerment in politics, showcasing the absence of women where it matters most. But hey, at least we get a new shiny billboard featuring Superman every other week, preaching about the very vices we are so desperately failing to address!
We are ranking last among South Asian countries, and yet we can’t seem to move past the placards and slogans. The entire WEF report screams ‘worsened’ and ‘decline’ and yet we can’t provide platforms for women to speak up and provide their insights.
Pakistan’s media, with its cynical and hypocritical heart, has gleefully pitted genders against each other for the sake of reactions that can go viral. Instead of fostering fruitful discussions, they have peddled inflammatory narratives. It’s no longer shameful, it’s criminal. For those whose lived experiences aren’t represented, how convenient that they always get the front-row seat of the spectacle.
It’s high time we make conscious choices at our end — instead of compromising on dirty tactics to gain higher television ratings and creating controversies to sell news, maybe we can start by upholding the narrative that no equality can be achieved by spouting hatred, belittlement of others and withholding equal representation.
Make no mistake, gender inequality is not a female problem. It affects us all regardless of our gender. It requires all of us coming together to fight this monstrous anomaly. Hear women, ask them to speak up, provide them with platforms where their solutions are heard, involve them when decisions about them are being made, utilise their expertise to do better for them. It’s not hard.
You know what Superman was doing wrong? He was going in with a saviour mindset. He had already decided that he needed to save someone helpless, someone below him. His conclusion was based on his constructed narrative – a damsel needed his heroic intervention. His mistake? Not asking Gender Equality their perspective, and how they both can get out of that situation. And hence for years, Gender Equality has been trapped in that collapsing building. The question isn’t how Gender Equality got there, but for how long they’ll remain. A question we, as a society, desperately need to answer.
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