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The female car mechanic driving change in patriarchal Pakistan
MULTAN, Pakistan, Oct 16, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Since picking up a wrench as one
of the first female car mechanics in conservative Pakistan, Uzma Nawaz has
faced two common reactions: shock and surprise. And then a bit of respect.
The 24-year-old spent years overcoming entrenched gender stereotypes and
financial hurdles en route to earning a mechanical engineering degree and
netting a job with an auto repairs garage in the eastern city of Multan.
“I took it up as a challenge against all odds and the meagre financial
resources of my family,” Nawaz told AFP.
“When they see me doing this type of work they are really surprised.”
Hailing from the small, impoverished town of Dunyapur in eastern
Pakistan’s Punjab province, Nawaz relied on scholarships and often skipped
meals when she was broke while pursuing her degree.
Her achievements are rare. Women have long struggled for their rights in
patriarchal Pakistan, an Islamic republic, and especially in rural areas are
often encouraged to marry young and devote themselves entirely to family over
career. “No hardship could break my will and motivation,” she says proudly.
The sacrifices cleared the way for steady work at a Toyota dealership in
Multan following graduation, she adds.
Just a year into the job, and promoted to general repairs, Nawaz moves
with the ease of a seasoned pro around the dealership’s garage, removing
tyres from raised vehicles, inspecting engines and handling a variety of
tools — a sight that initially jolted some customers.
“I was shocked to see a young girl lifting heavy spare tyres and then
putting them back on vehicles after repairs,” customer Arshad Ahmad told AFP.
But Nawaz’s drive and expertise has impressed colleagues, who say she can
more than hold her own.
“Whatever task we give her she does it like a man with hard work and
dedication,” said coworker M. Attaullah.
She has also convinced some of those who doubted her ability to make it in
a male-dominated work environment, including members of her own family.
“There is no need in our society for girls to work at workshops, it
doesn’t seems nice, but it is her passion,” said her father Muhammad Nawaz.
“She can now set up the machinery and can work properly. I too am very
happy.”
BSS/AFP/ARS/1701 hrs