Economics of Household

“Ye mera ghar hai… main jisse chahoon gaa use iss ghar mai rakhon gaa.”

Baseerat Husain’s words not only had a huge impact on Farida’s decision to accept her son’s marriage but provided impetus for her actions later on. There is no doubt that the male, in charge of economic affairs, was the decision maker in the household.

After Baseerat’s death Asher should have been the one to take his place but we see evidence to the contrary. Farida is successful in throwing Khirad out of the house, echoing Baseerat’s words, “iss ghar mai sirf woh rehta hai jisse mai rehne deti hoon” and “ye mera ghar hai”. Moreover, we see that Farida seems to have a certain amount of authority in financial matters. Not only does she finance Khizer’s education abroad, a significant expense that goes unnoticed by Asher for some reason, but manages to use money to manipulate the truth in her favour by having an upper hand on the servants.

However, her authority is restricted since the male does exist. It is only in Asher’s absence that she is able to make such decisions (and claims). Asher’s physical absence along with his passive nature is what allows her to exercise authority. Had Asher been more invested in household affairs she might not have been able to do so even in his absence.

Even in the absence of male and empowered by economics, which seems to be the driving force behind everything, Farida has had to lie in order to enforce her “truth narrative”.

It is evident that the subject of patriarchy is the overarching theme in the drama. For Baseerat, it was far easier to make the decision of his son’s future than Farida.