“Traveling in a bus always affected my life; my office timings, the uninvited staring, my ability to be free. Above all, it wasted a lot of my time,” Marina Syed, a girl in her twenties, sitting on a bright blue motorbike tells me. Marina is one of the few women who dare to drive motorcycles in our society.
The lack of a proper transport system in Karachi and skyrocketing taxi fares made moving about immensely difficult for her. “My office timings were from 6 to 11, I had to wait long hours late at night for a bus at the stop. They would charge me a hefty amount because they knew I had no other choice. Chinchi was a better option, but sadly it was banned.”
Since were cars were too expensive to purchase and maintain, Marina decided to ride a bike as men do. It will save time and money, she thought to herself. “I asked my friends to help me learn. They thought me about shifting gears, starting, stopping and everything I needed to know.”
Women in Pakistan are still extremely reluctant to drive bikes even in the 21st century, as biking for women is considered an unsuitable, unladylike and almost vulgar task. Many women find trouble riding bikes in public due to the patriarchal masculinity which dominates our society streets.
“The reaction of strangers towards me when I started riding the bike was absurd. They would cross my way, they wouldn’t give me space on the roads. I even fell twice while struggling to manage the bike as they deliberately tried to zigzag around me,” another female biker shares her ordeals.
“I guess people are insecure about us riding bikes. They degrade us on purpose; they overtake on the road again and again…maybe they are jealous” she adds.
Women bike riders and our society clearly don’t get well along. Female motorcyclists are often harassed, stared at and hooted by men. It does not stop here; their pictures are taken against their will, they are even verbally abused. The young girls tell me that the men loiter in the darkness just to stare wide-eyed at a girl driving at night.
Almost every woman who drives a bike has faced a troubling experience. Boys heckle at girls along the way or drive dangerously close to them too. It not only makes women lose their confidence but can also lead to a major accident. This harassment is also the main factor preventing women from stepping out and a reason why families are unsupportive of girls taking up bike riding.
Riding motorcycles in Pakistan is perceived as a men-only task even today. A bike is a method of transport and has nothing to do with gender. Yet it is simply unacceptable to men that women too can ride a motorbike. Sexism still strongly exists in our society; we can see an underage boy driving a motorbike to the shop but cannot bear the glimpse of a woman driving on her own.
It seems the disgrace attached to a woman riding a bike stems from the fear of her becoming independent-she no longer needs a man to survive. Let’s just suppose an elderly father is sick and left with no medicine at home. There is no one but a woman: what will you do? Is death or pain preferable to the sight of a woman riding a bike to fetch medicines or a doctor?
Encouraging women to ride a bike is always a better option rather than criticizing them. Ladies and bicycles are a powerful combination. It is no surprise that bicycles are symbols and tools of freedom, independence, and mobility.
Supporting female bikers in Pakistan can inspire other women to ride, their life can be changed in a positive way. They can ride anywhere they want, help in outdoor household chores, pick and drop their child: a lot of time can be saved.
Society has an absurd perception that women riding a bike is not appropriate. This custom will fade away with the passage of time if women continue to stand their ground. Despite the difficulties, Marina and her friends still take out their bikes every day. They face the noise and keep riding with the hope that one day they will no longer be the odd ones out- just another ordinary girl getting on with life.
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