The answer to this is very opinion based. First of all we must identify the types of feminism which have helped address these issues for the rest of the world and then evaluate how those types of feminism would apply here and to what degree of probable success.
To limit this very broad ranging discussion let's only look at the types of feminism that have been given with the CSS syllabus. There are naturally many many more and each of the following types have offshoots and sub-branches but let's keep the discussion to the seven types listed below;
- Liberal Feminism
- Radical Feminism
- Marxist/Socialist Feminism
- Psychoanalysis Feminism
- Men's Feminism
- Postmodern Feminism
- Islamic Feminism
Liberal Feminism:
Popular in the 50s and 60s. Considered the
legal system the root cause of oppression. They believe in creating and supporting legislation that help ensure same opportunities in political, economical, educational and social space for women as their male counterparts.
Applicable to Pakistan? Very much so. Our legal protection and support of women is negligible and there are countless laws currently enacted which blatantly discriminates against men and women. So instead of marching on the streets, it is the need of the moment to take a more practical and organised approach to not only get the legal safeguards and equality in place but also ensure that those legislation stay in practice (we all know how our legislative and legal systems are in decay and need revamps but that is beyond what is being discussed here.)
Following this type of feminism and its ideology could most definitely help ensure more
female participation in politics and better workplace environment (
more economic status). It does little to nothing for the social-cultural aspect of the problem though and in fact in some cases creates un-due resentment and hatred in our current patriarchal system against feminist ideals (
personal opinion: I have a feeling that is in part because most liberal feminist tend to use phrases like "let's snatch/take back control/power", "down with the patriarchy" etc which tend to be taken as a declaration of "war" between men and women. No one likes to see a system they are used to being toppled but a little more diplomacy and sensitivity to the issue rather than going in and bashing everyone who just grew up with those values and didn't know any different. If we want change we can't "demand" it. We need to use tact.).
Radical Feminism:
Calls for a
radical reordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts. Consider the
patriarchal gender relation as the root cause of oppression. You know when people (men and women alike) scoff at feminists and say that they are all talk and bashing the system rather than actual plans? Well, it is mostly because radical feminists exist more than they should and they have the loudest voices and the least clear agendas.
Applicable to Pakistan? Won't work at all. Barely worked in the West. Most of their achievements boil down to creating more awareness but we all know the problem now. Shouting it in the street isn't going to change much.
The changing of gender roles is a natural consequence of increased status of women in economical, cultural and political fields. It shouldn't be a goal in itself. Many people accused Radical Feminists of being an "anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." (quote from Pat Robertson that very accurately covers many mindsets towards feminism even in the West)
Marxist/Socialist Feminism:
They consider the
unequal economic position as the root cause of oppression. Believed that Women oppression is a
direct result of capitalism and ownership of property rights. Focused on Unequal division of labour between men and women (men get money for work, while women earn nothing for housework and child rearing- see concept of productive and reproductive labour). They identified a very root problem in the feminism campaign but because of its link to socialism and Engels in particular, the Capitalistic Western ideals put a natural blockade on it.
Applicable to Pakistan? We need it but will it be successful in application? Doubt it. We rely too heavily on the capitalistic world to risk an alienation. We can definitely tweak it because a major problem hindering an women empowerment campaigns in Pakistan is just how economically unequal men and women are, not just in the types of jobs, but in opportunities, credit availability, ownership of property, growth possibilities etc etc.
Psychoanalysis Feminism:
They believe that
women’s way of acting is rooted deep in women’s psyche. Psychoanalytic feminists explain women’s oppression as rooted within
psychic structures and reinforced by the
continual repetition of relational dynamics formed in infancy and childhood. Because of these deeply ingrained patterns, psychoanalytic feminists wanted to alter the experiences of early childhood and family relations, as well as linguistic patterns, that produce and reinforce masculinity and femininity.
Applicable to Pakistan? Not really in my opinion. The practical manifestations for this school of thought was to promote dual parenting (so that little boys can see fathers as nurturing and little girls can see that their mothers can also earn money and be independent). That faces a lot of cultural and social barriers in our country which are an uphill battle in themselves to counter.
Men's Feminism:
Was essentially a reaction to feminism and aimed to
introduce men into the gender studies field so they could study how they were socialized to be men. They started studying masculine characteristics and how and why men behave the way they do towards other genders.
Applicable to Pakistan? No. We do not need to toot any more horns on that end yet. We will eventually have to study the new gender dynamics once a bit headway is made in the female empowerment campaign but not now.
Postmodern Feminism:
They dealt with issues in
structure of society. Why current society and order is built on concept of two genders/sex? Was more philosophical theory building than anything else. They were big supporters of accepting diversity and removing the dichotomy in the genders.
Applicable to Pakistan? The plight of the third gender in Pakistan and their place in society is greatly linked to the postmodern feminist movement, but that is beyond the scope of the question asked.
Islamic/Pro-Islam Feminism:
Looking at the feminist calls for increased participation and status from an Islamic perspective.
Applicable to Pakistan? Many people have a misguided opinion that Islam and feminism are mutually exclusive. They are not. They can not only exist in the same society but are complimentary. The important aspect is that there is more open debate and inclusion of female scholars in the Islamic scholarly circles (case in point: Indonesia Muslim Women Conference held in 2017 to help give recommendations to the policy-makers and the community on what women ACTUALLY want and how best to achieve those goals). We need this in Pakistan because it aligns with our cultural and social set-up already. There would be no need to drastically let go of all our values and institutions, we would just need to adjust them while still remaining within the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah.
The issue is a multi-faceted one and hence the solution to those problems must be a mix of many different approaches that have worked for others before us. I would probably write the answer in the paper similarly but would leave out men's, postmodern, and radical feminism entirely-Focus on the positives, they have not asked what CAN'T work. Anyway I hope my above comparison has helped in some way.