I wonder sometimes whom to blame for this weird classification of species — the omnipotent God or the random evolutionary process which favors survival at any means possible. Considering the heterosexual division of human species for now, which is divided into two, male and female, where both have different genetic organs yet are imperative for the survival of their own species. However, since the development of our conscience, we have been struggling to comply with the desire for superiority over each other.

This month, the Aurat March 2026 was as expected due on March 8 in Islamabad, but the organizers were abducted and were put behind bars. It is not a new thing to witness here in Pakistan, but if we introspect on the dire situation at the root level, we may get to realize how many amendments Pakistan needs to free itself from this toxic fundamentalist patriarchy which is driven by culture and religion. Each year, around one thousand females are killed in the name of so-called honor. The honor of males, the so-called 'Mardangi' of Pakistanis, where they consider females as objects that are the source of obscenity and should be confined within the four walls of their homes.

We can't directly move to the significance of feminism because it is being polarized here up to a sinful extent. But considering the biological fact, I do want to present a question that no human being here is equal; each one of us is uniquely different. The essence of patriarchy relies on the claim that males are physically superior to females, but I find this notion extremely absurd because I barely have muscles and strength to carry a 40kg dumbbells (even when my own weight is barely 55), which means the feminine strength I possess can make me deprived of my fundamental rights? Also, there are some other claims that I encounter in favor of patriarchy, for instance , the females are relatively more dumb and ignorant to figure out real-world issues, but this isn't true either because if you keep anyone away from the outside world for years, then how can we expect them to be psychologically mature abruptly without going through all the hindrances any average male kid had to face. Yes, females are more prone to subjective appeal, but this trait is possessed by every individual who has empathy in his/her heart.

So, this brings us to a modern philosophy which advocates for an egalitarian society and is called feminism. Even though it gives a feminine vibe (because of its name), but trust me, we males need it as much as females do. This philosophy never states that both genders are the same; it just claims that we both ought to be equal in terms of rights, opportunities, and resources. It makes us see females as other human beings with desires, dreams, and wishes that are supposed to be fulfilled by the freedom which they are being deprived of, and all of these centuries of deprivation are now being converted into frustration and hatred against males, which is called misandry.

It's something obvious that misandry and misogyny are the opposite sides of the same coin because all they share is hatred and inconvenience, but these Gen Z are far too immature to understand the essence of it. It sounds cool to be called a feminist actually, and most of the young girls fall prey to this validation instead of understanding the true nature of it because the freedom we ask for comes at a cost of responsibility which most of them are not ready for, so they end up creating a more suffocating quagmire of suffering for males, where they enjoy all the equal freedom by avoiding the responsibility that comes along with it. For instance, my sister may not like to help my mother in domestic chores because she is educated but is not ready to learn how to ride a bike or cycle to carry herself to college or university, isn't it ironic?

I can brag about the different definitions of feminism written by Western feminists, but the relative atrocities that Pakistani women have to face can never be comprehended. Last year, I read Feminism is for Everybody by Bell Hooks where she mentioned that the classical definition of feminism is 'a movement against sexism,' and it is a general definition which in the Pakistani context can be used against the objectification or forced childbirth. Maybe the essence of heteropatriarchy is the nuclear family system which was introduced since the dawn of capitalism along with individuality can be argued as the perfect utopia where the female is responsible for internal affairs like household chores and the male is responsible for external affairs like earning a living. It sounds really tempting, at least for me, but it comes at a cost for both, where males are obliged to earn at any cost, otherwise they are going to starve themselves along with their family, which puts them under continuous stress, meanwhile the female has to compromise her dreams and passion just for the sake of taking care of her family.

Since both are humans and both can have their own priorities, so it is high time to accept their individual decisions where they choose whatever is good for them instead of enforcing something absolute or traditional on them because most of the laws and norms that define manhood and womanhood are based on cultural taboos and do not represent biological realities. However, this can't be possible if males are not ready to accept that females are human beings and females are not ready to bear the responsibilities that come along with the freedom they were deprived of.

Feminism was never about misandry; it was never to hate males in general, but to strive for having an equal society for both males and females. However, its definition was hijacked by algorithm-driven pseudo-intellectuals, and it is really unfortunate because they are polarizing the already ablaze situation. Also, the isolation of females from our society to avoid any issues has further exacerbated everything, not just economically, but psychologically too. For instance, by the time both genders hit puberty, there are certain emotional and physical needs of Homo sapiens that are supposed to be fulfilled, which includes sexual intimacy driven by romantic delusions. However, in our society, it is being constantly suppressed, which makes our youth take more desperate measures to meet their needs. Even at certain instances where males are completely exposed, females may not be as curious as males are because males will strive to see any inch of females under the imperialist abaya to have a glimpse of her body to extinguish their curiosity. Thus, blaming males for all the sins is easy, but not understanding the core reason for this behavior is a lack of empathy.

Also, after ending up in a university, out of many perspectives that was shifted, there is one thing which I reconsider too and it was about the openness of our society. I used to vouch for absolute freedom, but interacting with the opposite gender in a co-environment exposed me to the fact that abrupt freedom isn't good for this society either and infact it's far more destructive than isolation. No one among us is ready for radical change, but a gradual policy shift is going to give each one of us the time to accept the realities of our existence which we are deprived of since childhood.

Author and Researcher: Mohsin Ramzan