It's a two-dimensional world for the women in Humsafar

As the very first episode of the show starts, we see Khirad and her mother, tutoring some muhalla kids in her house. For these two women, the space that they move about in is very limited and has boundaries that are defined not only by their social standing but largely by their financial status. They live in an enclosed building where the only space for social interaction outside the home becomes limited to the the common verandah-like area where we often see Khirad talking to Batool Khala. The three women, Khirad, her mother, and Batool Khala together become for each other a version of a larger society. The three share their personal spaces with each other, their food, and the problems they face in life. In comparison to this, Fareeda's, who has money and the social standing, situation should be very different. But it is far from it. Her only confidante seems to be her sister. Similarly, it is mentioned in the very beginning that she is a social worker and runs an NGO. But never is she shown in the role of a social worker. We see her at her office,working on a computer but never more than that and watching a documentary on human rights. Her status as a social worker then only becomes a mere expression of elitism and the contrast with Khirad's household that the playwright seems so eager to highlight again and again. Fareeda's better education, financial status and social standing do not seem to privilege her with a better status as a woman. Her husband, who at least to me seems a rather meek character, very easily manipulates her through threats. A threat that somebody in Fareeda's standing should be well-equipped to handle rather than giving in to it. It might also be worth mentioning that she never talks about her work or what she does, except that she is always shown pre-occupied with affairs of the family. She then becomes the 'dutiful housewife'. Her privilege is forcefully snatched away from her by the trappings of her family life. In this regard, Khirad and her mother are different since they are making money for the family and providing for themselves. Their conversations, hence, inevitably revolve around their finances. This self-sufficiency gives them an agency that Fareeda does not have, despite having a rich husband, a job, a big house, and a functional family. Further, we never see Fareeda in a social role outside the family space, which again becomes limiting for her in comparison to Khirad and her mother, who have a social space outside the house, no matter how small and bordered.