Of the 17 UN sustainability development goals, 4 directly impact women: gender equality, decent work and economic growth, reduced inequality, and peace, justice and strong institutions. Since 1960, many countries and societies have made discernable progress.
Others have faltered. In my rather mismanaged life, I have encountered situations where I have played second fiddle (or third) to my opposite gender. I was born in the CMH (Combined Military Hospital) Agra at 11pm in on 21st August, 1945.
Sister Gladys was on duty. 5 minutes after emerging she gently smacked my bottom to get me crying/breathing. After partition of the subcontinent, my father was repositioned to Sialkot, Pakistan. The convent school was run by a strict protocol by nuns. No male input.
Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, made a historic statement, “a small step for MAN, a Giant step for mankind.” Neil should now expect push back for this misogynist statement.
My father moved to Quetta in 1954. The famous St. Francis Grammar School (for boys) was across the road from the convent (for girls). The Grammar School was managed by Father Cordeiro duly assisted by numerous lady teachers.
Poor Father C was vastly outnumbered. Across, in the convent school the only male employee was the school bus driver. The current Pope, who took the sobriquet of St. Francis, is championing gender empowerment within the clergy, and facing a push back.
The great Queen Cleopatra ruled the Nile valley in ancient times through guile planning. Julies Ceasar was so smitten that he pledged his love “forever”. Unfortunately, he was taken out by Brutus and his gang. Not to be derailed, Cleo took up with Marc Anthony. She could have ruled for another 25 years but, for the snake bite. Women power has prevailed for thirty years in Bangladesh. The BBBs (Battling Begums of Bangladesh); if you cross either one, your fate may well be similar to Nobel laureate Mohammad Younus’.
My first job was with the Imperial Chemical Company, ICI. There were four top executives, chairman plus three directors. Each had a competent lady secretary. The four secretaries actually ran the company insofar as junior managers like me were concerned. The big boys looked after mundane functions like investment strategies, government liaison, tariff protection, etc.
The daily operations were informally monitored by the four secretaries. One had to stay in their good books. I had to remember names, birthdays, likes and dislikes. While running the Management Association of Pakistan, I had cultivated Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman of the Emirates Airline Group.
He was good for occasionally sponsoring some of our events. But I hardly ever talked with him. His executive secretary got things done in a jiffy. Maurice died a few years ago. His contribution to building the Emirates Group has earned lifelong benefits for his widow and family.
Life moved on. Sometimes fast paced. Sometimes on cruise control. Came time to get married (1971). The ladies of the family (grandmothers, mother, grand-aunts, sisters, cousins, onlookers) took it upon themselves to manage it. I was ring- fenced.
The decision was handed down to me. I could not express my liking for a certain lady in Lahore who lived in a military house, adjacent to Jamsetji and Sons. What a prime location. Nor could I convince the family ladies about my high school sweetheart – a Belgian girl owning a vast pharmaceutical empire.
In one profession the ladies outgun and outranked their male counterparts, MODELLING. In fact, in this industry male models earn only 10% of their female counterparts – unless you are David Beckham in a thong. It’s about time the males got together and asked for equal pay.
The greatest model in this super glamorous profession was Yasmeen Ghori. She retired in 1995 at the top of the curve. No model since has been able to walk like Yasmeen. The president of Pakistan should bestow an award on her – the best mover and shaker.
Life was good. Two daughters arrived. As they were growing up, they mutually decided that Dad was a piggy bag.
Gender Equality is leading to one serious problem. Already happening. I am told in certain geographical locations a man may not call a woman “beautiful” or compliment her looks. Ladies retort back, “I am a whole package, more than just looks”.
Wow. If gender equality means no or less romance, I am not for it. Romance has been intertwined with world history. Starting with Adam and Eve; many world-shaking historical events are grounded in love and romance. Remember the “thunderbolt’ episodes from Godfather 1.
Pensions in Pakistan are a time bomb. A research article by illustrious Naeem Sadiq sights the disparity. A superior judiciary judge upon retirement takes a pension of around a million rupees per month plus perks.
However, the highest pension earner in Pakistan is a famous lady of yesteryear. Her annual pension runs into 6 figures in US dollars. It is also indexed. This fact is duly recorded in the royal archives of the host country. It is a definite advantage if a lady is P+P (Professional and Pretty). When Pakistan’s comely foreign minister of state was late for a meeting with a Russian delegation led by Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, he merely looked at his watch pointedly and smiled. A male foreign minister would have immediately earned a rebuke or dressing down back home. It has nothing to do with undressing. In these days of political correctness, I am always anxious while using this term.
My first granddaughter arrived in 2000.
When she was two years old, I started to teach her swimming – being an avid swimmer myself. This continued for 7 years. By the age of 9, she was a good swimmer. Then she changed her mind. She would rather do horse-riding. Grandpa (me) would take her to Clifton beach at 4pm twice a week.
In the summer, temperature would be 90 degrees Farenheit. While she did her riding for one hour, I would stand in the sunlight. No shelter. Once I left a board meeting early to meet her riding schedule. My second granddaughter arrived in 2004. In 2009, my eldest granddaughter decided to ditch horse-riding and take up rowing at the Karachi Boat Club.
Thrice a week, grandpa was on duty. Both granddaughters were taking up my time. My third granddaughter was born in 2014. One daughter now resides in Vietnam and the other in the USA. Currently, I am in service to the needs and demands of my daughters, granddaughters and their various friends spread around the world.
In the corporate world, women buying power has always been recognized. In most societies (advanced or under developed, capitalists or communist) women make most of the buying decisions – from big ticket items to every day staples plus housing, medical, vacations, cars, education, fashion, and the kitchen table.
Most political elections worldwide are the outcomes of a 6 ft. by 3ft. platform – the kitchen table. If this looks good, the election results will be OK. In the Gulf countries, a lot of untapped wealth resides with the women. Surprisingly, the banks have not cashed in on this.
If the local banks in Gulf countries were to deploy an army of female relationship managers who could approach these high-net-worth females, a banking bonanza would follow. Currently, these women do not visit banks, working through family intermediaries.
My father, a military officer in the old tradition, had a sign hanging in his bedroom which read as follows: “I AM THE BOSS IN THIS HOUSE, AND I HAVE MY WIFE’S PERMISSION TO SAY SO.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
The writer is a former Executive Director of the Management Association of Pakistan
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