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FIFA Women’s World Cup started on a high note on 8th June 2019 as France and South Korea and Germany and China took to the field – the European countries winning both matches.
On the other hand, Pakistani football fans can’t help but notice this recurring trend of South Asian countries not qualifying for the FIFA World Cup.
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Whilst Pakistan has neither qualified for the men’s tournament nor the women’s (as of yet), it is noticeable that other major South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal and India have never made the cut either. Furthermore, unlike the men’s team, India and Pakistan’s women’s football teams never even reached the qualifiers to begin with. Why is this?
The first and foremost (and frankly quite obvious) reason would be the three year ban FIFA imposed on the Pakistan Football Federation in 2015 because of “undue third-party interference” due to which the country was unable to participate in international football matches.
Having just started playing in 2010, this was a serious blow to the women’s national team in particular. Hence it goes without saying that the team has not gotten the international exposure and practice it needs to play in the big leagues.
Moving further, let’s shed some light on the social barriers aspiring female athletes in the South Asian region have had to deal with.
Football is Boys’ Sport
Gender roles embedded in our society prevent many young girls from reaching their potential, particularly in the area of sports. Football is predominantly seen as a “boy’s sport” not only in Pakistan but also in its neighboring countries i.e. India and Afghanistan.
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Not to mention, the female stereotypes that have become a hallmark of our society and are so deeply rooted that even in more “progressive” cities such as Islamabad, girls are left behind when it comes to athletics as they are often perceived to be weaker and slower than the opposite sex.
A Woman Must Not Attract Attention
Factually, most countries in South Asia are comparatively more conservative than those in North Asia. Hence, one may conclude that the modesty mantra in Pakistan and/or Bangladesh persuades women from keeping away from professions that could shine too bright a “spotlight” on them.
A Woman’s Place is in the House
On the other hand, many conservative families don’t allow their daughters to step out of traditional norms such as remaining a housewife while the man of the household is seen as the breadwinner. On the contrary, secular countries as well as developed countries like the United States (the current Women’s World Cup champions) and Germany dominate women’s football matches as there are less social and cultural barriers for them to face.
Pakistan is a developing country where there is little women empowerment and patriarchy dominates most – if not all – communities. This combined with the lack of funding allocated towards the women’s football team, unfortunately holds back South Asian women from making a name for themselves as resilient athletes.
