Humayun Saeed is considering highlighting Pakistan's obsession with doctor bahus in his next project

There's a very important issue actor and producer Humayun Saeed is considering basing his next project on. The Meray Paas Tum Ho star tweeted about women doctors not being able to put their studies into practice after graduation because of the Pakistani obsession with doctor bahu [daughter-in-law]. This leads to years of hard work going to waste as these women are married off instead of pursuing their careers.

"Disappointed to find out that only one out of four female doctors practice after graduation in Pakistan because of family pressure. Thinking of a new project, maybe to highlight this issue. Let’s encourage women to pursue their dreams," he wrote, with the hashtag #DoctorBahu.

People wanting daughters-in-law who are doctors but not actually letting them practice is an old problem and still plagues women today. Doctor bahus are usually in great demand but they're rarely 'allowed' to actually be doctors. They study for years and toil away, passing exams and putting in hours of work only to be told after marriage that they should stay home and let their hard work go to waste.

Saeed's tweet captured the attention of a lot of people who were quick to add on to his argument.

This doctor said it's not just societal pressure but "insane working hours" that lead to women quitting the medical profession.

A woman commented under the tweet, appreciating the topic and hoping to see something constructive come out of the discussion. She said doctor bahus are also expected to be good cooks and makegol rotis [round rots] to which another woman responded that women are expected to be good at everything.

"Literally the daughter-in-law should be a doctor, a good cook, should have many good qualities and be beautiful. But people don't even glance at their son before coming to propose marriage. The man's education won't measure up to the woman's. When you leave your house with a proposal, you should take a good look at your son first," she laughed.

Another doctor commented and said the issue was important but often "undermined by societal pressures and cultural norms". "I feel it’s the need of the hour," he said, praising how people are talking about it openly.

This user requested Saeed to show the struggles of medical students instead of turning it into a saas bahu [mother-in-law daughter-in-law] drama.

Another user highlighted a great point and said it's difficult for women "to do any job after marriage/kids, let alone a job that needs you 24/7. Even in supportive families, allowing them to do job is considered 'support' but in the end, it's her who has to handle everything at home too, which is NOT easy. So they quit."

This is not the first time a celebrity has spoken out about the issue of doctor bahus but we're glad this time it's a celebrity hoping to highlight the issue of women not being allowed to work. Armeena Khan shared her views in 2019, saying women who don't pursue their medical careers should "pay back the costs so replacement doctors can be trained." This received a lot of backlash from the public who blamed her for being tone deaf for pointing fingers at victims.

The decision to pursue a career in medicine is just the start of a series of difficulties faced by women doctors — in 2020, several women doctors shared their experiences of harassment during the pandemic. We hope Saeed does make a project on the issue of doctor bahus and it does justice to the struggles of so many women.