No one can deny how Pakistan’s patriarchal society is unfair to women, but when it comes to single moms it is ruthless.
It is heartbreaking to see how the world expects its women to be dependent on men for their existence and finances. And if a woman gathers the courage and determination to be independent, not only she but also her kids are subject to unfair judgments and discrimination.
In the face of all such unfair judgments, the story of this single mom from Lahore made many netizens on social media emotional.
As per Humans of Lahore, Farheen, a single mother, runs a shop in Anarkali Bazaar Lahore.
As there is no male earner in her family, Farheen is striving hard to give a life of dignity to herself and her daughter. In order to do so, Farheen runs a small shop (khokha) along with driving Uber to make both ends meet for herself and her 9-year-old daughter.
But in her quest to lead an independent life, Farheen has to dress up as a man. Because only by turning into a male she could avoid being frowned upon and feel safe in the male-dominated society.
According to the Facebook page ‘Humans of Lahore’, Farheen lives with her daughter in a hostel. And, when the netizens came to know about how she is struggling to pay for her living, many people came together and raised almost Rs 2,00,000 for her.
Though it is great to know how people came forward to support her, we couldn’t blind ourselves to her struggles. It is heartbreaking to see how a woman has to disguise herself as a man to feel safe in a male-dominated society.
At IFORHER, we are in awe of Farheen’s courage and determination to strive for a life of dignity for herself and her daughter. How she is fighting like a warrior against her life circumstances shows true courage!
