“The interview was great but looks are more important”

Setara: I am a midwife. I was introduced to one of the state hospitals to receive further trainings. The hospital wasn’t blessed with a good atmosphere.  The doctor who was training us was so explicitly explaining to us sex organs. One day he told a student to stand up and explain how to use a condom. Witnessing this, I blushed and was embarrassed. He kept giving me suggestive looks.  When we were alone, he gave me his phone number and emphasized that I should visit his office in Kot-e-Sangi. I learnt about what was going through his mind and never bother myself to visit his office.

Zahra: I was working in one of the private companies. One day my boss extended his hand to shake my hand which I refused to do so.

Angry by my reaction, he told me that if I refused to shake hands, they would lose their clients.

The next day all my colleagues did their best to convince me to shake hands but I continued to resist it. Though I was busy doing my job but handshaking turned into a big issue at my workplace.

The pressure over such a small thing mounted which forced me to resign.

Shabnam: I was desperately looking for a job. For a short period of time, I worked for an NGO with a woman who was running it. It was not a thriving business as the woman didn’t manage to channel any project. I asked her that if there was nothing to do then I would quit the NGO. She asked me to write a proposal for a new project so that she could introduce me to donor. A few days later, a man turned up and my boss said to me that this is the man who can help us with channeling projects to our NGO. As I started talking to him, I realized that I was sold to this man by my boss.

Fatima: I applied for a position. As soon as my application was submitted, I was called for an interview.

I went for the interview. A man who was supposed to interview me was leering at me from head to toe. My education background was good enough. I looked around and I saw well-dressed and attractive girls. It didn’t occur to me that I would land the job there. The man who interviewed me called me the next day and said that the interview was great but they value looks more than education. I was devastated. It damaged my confidence and self-esteem. I couldn’t land the job. I was not attractive.