It’s a man’s world, they say, and in Pakistan that’s possibly a truer statement than in many other countries. While we are proud to having had the first female Prime Minister in the Muslim world and while Pakistani women have excelled in many fields, sometimes in the face of violent opposition, the overall situation of women’s rights leaves a great deal to be desired.

With this in mind, let’s relate the interesting example set by a petrol pump in Lahore where the job of pumping gas, for some reason seen exclusively as a male preserve, is conducted entirely by women.

Zoom petrol station at the M.M. Alam Road has taken the bold initiative of employing women in what has always been essentially a male domain. Smartly dressed in pants, collared shirts and caps or scarves, young women go about filling up tanks of cars and motorcycles with an air of ease and professional nonchalance which makes you wonder why it took so long for this initiative to take off.

I visited the petrol station recently to buy a bottle of water from the mini-mart, I noticed some girls in uniform, filling petrol in cars that drove in and out of the gas station. Surprised, I decided to sit in my car for a bit and observe what was going on. For some customers, it seemed to be business as usual but for others, it was a bit surprising and awkward. “Since we are located in a relatively upscale area and have a permanent customer base, the management doesn’t really have any issues with hiring female employees,” said Saeeb, the manager of the petrol station.

Empowerment and financial independence go hand in hand

I asked Ayesha, one of the employees how she felt about working at a petrol station. “More women should be hired at petrol stations, for they are no less than men. When a car drives up, we greet customers and ask them if they would like Hi-Octane or Premium and that’s all, we don’t make idle chatter,” she said.

Women at the petrol station work in two shifts — from 8am to 5pm and 10am to 7pm. They get paid more than the male staff and are hired directly by the petrol station whereas the men are either hired on contract or daily wages. The uniform and a daily lunch are provided by the company.

Ayesha mentioned that the male staff is helpful in case of any difficulties and that they all work as a team.

Working together as a team

Are there any special security measures taken for female staff? “No, we’ve never felt the need for it, as we have never received a complaint from the staff nor the customers”, said Saeeb.

According to an observation, the upper and lower classes don’t mind their women working, whether she is a designer belonging to the ‘elite’ or a house maid from the lower class. Seemingly, it is the lower-middle and middle classes that tend to be far more conservative in their outlook and frown upon women working outside their homes.

The girls working at the petrol pump belong to the lower class. Since they are not educated, their other job options would be to work at a beauty salon or a make-up store where they might learn some skills but where formal education is not a requirement.

One can only hope that this initiative soon becomes a trend and more women can become a part of this and other similar industries. Like Ayesha said earlier, ‘women are no less than men’, so why not give them the opportunity to cross over gender barriers and prove themselves in areas which have been male dominated. Not only will this have a positive economic impact overall, it will also help women become more financially independent; something that can only be of benefit to society at large.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, October 19th, 2014