No Country for a Woman Alone: The Silent Struggles of Independent Women in Pakistan.

For many women in Pakistan, the idea of living alone is not just about independence—it is about survival in a society where autonomy often comes at a steep cost. From Karachi to Lahore to Islamabad, single women who choose or are compelled to live by themselves face an invisible yet suffocating web of judgment, harassment, and social exclusion.

Fareeha’s Story: A Life of Calculated Caution

In the early 2000s, Fareeha Mirza*, a teacher in her 50s, found herself living alone in Karachi after her daughter moved abroad. What followed was not freedom, but a carefully constructed existence to protect herself from scrutiny.

She dressed down deliberately to avoid attention, avoided late-night social events, and even placed men’s shoes in her apartment to create the illusion that she was not living alone. Repairmen, neighbours, and even acquaintances often crossed personal boundaries, treating her solitude as an open invitation.

Years later, her life changed when she began caring for a foster child. Suddenly, the same neighbours who once judged her now treated her with respect—because she was no longer seen as “a woman alone” but “a woman with a family.” This transformation revealed a troubling truth: in Pakistan, a woman’s social acceptability is often tethered to her association with family rather than her own individuality.

Independence at a Cost

Younger women face similar challenges. Areeba Khalid, a 27-year-old software engineer, moved to Karachi with dreams of independence but soon found herself hiding behind curtains, censoring phone calls, and lying about living with a flatmate to avoid harassment.

Women like Areeba, Fareeha, and countless others walk a tightrope between freedom and fear. Their choices are constantly questioned:

Why are you not married?
Where is your family?
Do you bring men over?
Why do you work late?

These intrusive interrogations don’t come only from curious neighbours—they also come from landlords, shopkeepers, coworkers, and sometimes even so-called friends.

Harassment Masquerading as Curiosity

For many men, a woman living alone is viewed not as independent but as “available.” This dangerous assumption translates into harassment, stalking, and in some cases, forced entry. Women report neighbours slipping notes under their doors, landlords inventing excuses to visit their flats, and tradesmen making suggestive comments.

In 2024, a case in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar highlighted this vulnerability when a landlord barged into a woman’s apartment under the pretense of a gas leak. He had been harassing her for months. Though the case briefly trended online, like many others, it was soon forgotten without systemic change.

Housing: A Battle in Itself

Finding accommodation is another exhausting challenge. Many landlords outright refuse to rent to single women. Those who agree often impose strict and invasive conditions: no male visitors, curfews, moral questioning, and inflated rents. Even divorced or widowed women with children, like 45-year-old Amber Saba, find themselves interrogated about their marital status, divorce, or family ties.

Hostels and so-called “women’s residences” are no better, often policing women under the guise of safety by monitoring their movements and restricting visitors.

The Psychological Toll

This constant surveillance and judgment takes a severe psychological toll. Loneliness, anxiety, and depression are common among women living alone, not because of their solitude, but because of the societal rejection that accompanies it.

The tragic case of actor Humaira Asghar, who was found dead in her apartment months after passing away, raised disturbing questions: why did no one check on her sooner? Did society’s rejection and isolation play a role in her lonely death?

Therapists confirm that more young women are seeking counselling to cope with the stress of living independently in a culture that often treats them as outsiders.

What Needs to Change

There is no single solution, but several urgent reforms are needed:

Legal protections: Gender-based housing discrimination must be outlawed, with enforceable tenant rights protecting women from harassment by landlords.

Policing reforms: Gender-sensitive police training and dedicated women-led complaint units are essential to address harassment effectively.

Urban planning: Better lighting, secure neighbourhoods, and confidential reporting mechanisms can make cities safer.

Cultural shifts: Media and educational institutions must normalize women’s independence, portraying them as individuals rather than anomalies.

Community support: Women-led support groups, safe co-living spaces, and mental health circles can provide solidarity and protection.

Employer responsibility: Companies should provide housing stipends, safe transportation, or flexible work hours to minimize risks.

Changing the Narrative

At its heart, this issue is not just about housing—it is about autonomy. A woman living alone is not rebelling against society; she is simply choosing to live life on her own terms. Yet, society continues to question her morality rather than her safety.

Until women are free to live without fear of harassment, judgment, or intrusion, independence in Pakistan will remain a privilege for the few, not a right for all.

Women living alone are not anomalies. They are trailblazers, quietly reshaping the social fabric. Their solitude is not rebellion—it is resilience.

Key Points

In Pakistan, women living alone face judgment, harassment, and housing discrimination.

Independence is often misinterpreted as immorality, making women vulnerable to exploitation.

Landlords, neighbours, and tradesmen frequently cross boundaries, assuming availability.

Safety concerns force women to adopt survival tactics: lying about roommates, dressing down, or placing men’s belongings in their homes.

The psychological toll includes loneliness, anxiety, and depression, often worsened by social isolation.

Policy reforms (tenant rights, police training, housing protections) and cultural shifts are urgently needed.

Living alone should not be treated as rebellion—it should be respected as a basic right to autonomy and safety.