Pakistan women gradually breaking gender stereotypes, social taboos

In socially conservative and heavily patriarchal Pakistan, Mehrunissa, Shabana, Shakila Bano and Chand Bibi are gradually breaking gender stereotypes and social taboos with each passing day here in the country's commercial capital.

The sight of women filling fuel in vehicles at a petrol pump is not something Pakistani people are accustomed to.

“Initially customers who came to fill fuel used to stare at us and one could see they were wondering what we were doing working at a fuel station,” says Shabana, a woman attendant at a fuel station owned by the Total Parco petroleum company here.

The Total Parco petroleum company has taken the initiative of employing female attendants at some of their select fuel stations, which are not outsourced and are run directly by the company.

“Women are now brave enough to enter any field which was previously considered a male dominion. You see women and girls riding motorcycles in Karachi, they are running food trucks and stalls, a few of them are even riding auto rickshaws, so we thought why not give them an opportunity to work as attendants at our stations,” says Raza Ahmed, a manager at one of the pumps located in the upmarket Clifton area.

Raza says the idea is to gradually increase the women workforce at other stations as well.

“People who live in this area are generally educated and more broad minded so we thought why not start from here,” he said.

The four women who work at the Clifton fuel station wear the same red and black filling station uniforms with their heads covered in dupattas as they remain busy attending to customers and filling up fuel tanks.

“It is hard work standing around for eight to 10 hours but it is also very satisfying knowing that we are not only working but also breaking social taboos surrounding women in our generally conservative society,” says Mehrunnisa, a female attendant at the fuel station.

Mehrunissa, Shabana, Shakila Bano and Chand Bibi all have the same story to tell. They faced initial resistance to their work from their husbands or families.

“My husband is a security guard. He was reluctant at first about what people would say. He was worried how I would manage working long shifts in the heat and dirt," says Chand Bibi.

Raza recalls that Chand Bibi was the first among the four to start working at the station which remains open 24 hours. The women work in three eight-hour shifts.

Chand Bibi was the one who also got the three other women jobs at the station and they all live in the same neighbourhood.

“When the women in my neighbourhood saw me going to work every day some of them were curious and later Shabana, Mehru and Shakila also joined me,” says Chand Bibi.

“It feels good to be a trendsetter, to inspire others,” she says.

Shakila negates the impression that the four might be getting offensive remarks or gestures working at the station.

“There are male colleagues working with us and they make sure that no one misbehaves with us. Generally the people who come to get fuel are well-mannered and many of them appreciate that we are earning our living this way,” she says.

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