“My husband is threatening to divorce me; he says I’m of no use to him anymore.” Hoori, mother of five daughters and three sons, the youngest of who is barely two months old, had to undergo an emergency hysterectomy due to complications resulting in her last pregnancy. Her husband was furious when he found out and has told her he will get married again as she can no longer give him any more children.

Nasreen has the same story to relate. “When my seventh child was born the doctor told me I could die during my next pregnancy. She told me to have the operation (tubal ligation) but my husband hit the roof. He beat me so much I was afraid he would kill me. I had no choice but to have more children.” Nasreen was lucky, she had two more children safely and her husband finally seemed satisfied, “also, by then my eldest son had started earning and he stopped my husband from hurting me,” she smiles.

Nusrat is not so lucky. “My husband has never forgiven me for not giving him a son; we have had nine daughters and in between I have had several miscarriages. I’m afraid that I will soon be too old to have children and he will finally divorce me,” says Nusrat, whose eldest grandchild is older than her youngest daughter as she continues to produce a baby every year in pursuit of the long-awaited son.

Halima, Nusrat’s mother, grieves for her daughter’s health. “When the sixth child was born, I told the midwife to do something to give her a couple of years’ gap before the next pregnancy,” she admits. Why not ask the midwife to provide a permanent solution so that there would be no more pregnancies? “Oh no, she has to have a son or how will her marriage ever be stable?”

Obviously Halima follows the same doctrine in her own house. “I told my daughter-in-law that one son is not enough; she should have at least two. Mashallah, she’s had her second son now.” Halima beams as the proud grandmother of six granddaughters and two grandsons.

These are women who belong to the lowest income bracket; illiterate and poor their entire security is bound up in the number of children (preferably male) that they can produce. But there are also women like Bina. “My husband is an only child and he is completely dominated by his parents. They are very rich and encourage him not to work so they can control our lives financially,” says the 20-something educated woman who looks much older than her years. “We live in the lap of luxury but in return we have to fulfil their whim for umpteen grandchildren.” With five children already, Bina has definitely had enough but her in-laws are not about to let things rest. “My youngest is barely two and my mom-in-law keeps asking when the next ‘good news’ is due.” Umaima, a highly qualified career woman, has been pushed into having far more children than was advisable for her health by her husband, also an educated professional. “He tells me, as good Muslims it is our duty to bring more children into the world.” — S.N.