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What Happens to a Pakistani Woman When Her Husband Dies
“Why don’t you just agree to marry him?” asked Farah’s sister. “You would have a happy life. Trust me. You won’t be able to face the world and take care of your children alone.”
“How can I marry my brother-in-law?” Farah exclaimed. “In fact, I don’t want to marry anyone. Please don’t discuss this matter with me again.”
Farah’s husband had died only five months ago, and now everyone was asking her to marry her husband’s brother.
She had only gotten a high school education, after which her father promptly arranged for her to be married. With this level of education, she could only find a clerical or receptionist job. But working at such a job went against the the customs of her husband’s family, which made it that much harder for her.
Soon after her husband’s death, Farah found herself dependent on her in-laws to meet her and her children’s basic needs. There were times when she had no money to buy feeders for her young children. She felt like she couldn’t directly ask her in-laws for financial support.
Life became very difficult for Farah.
Her daily movements were heavily scrutinized. She often received comments from older women of the family to be cautious about how she dressed and how she communicated with men. She was not…
