In the Muslim world, there are many women, but Benazir Bhutto was one of the first to shine. She fought for democracy and broke all the barriers set for the women of her time. Her greatest accomplishments are many firsts for the world – the first female Prime Minister of the Muslim world and the first female leader to give birth while in office (Yes, before PM Jacinda Arden). Bhutto’s primary struggle was against the military-regimes of General Zia-Ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf. Bhutto believed that oppression only existed in anarchy and tyranny. She saw Democracy as the solution to these problems.

As a woman who spent her life fighting against oppressive male dictators, one of Bhutto’s most powerful speeches was “Male Dominance of Women” orated during the 1995 United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing. The Conference on Women marked a significant turning point for the global agenda for gender equality. Bhutto seized the opportunity of speaking to a diverse audience of government delegates, NGO representatives, civil servants, and the media regarding the injustice women faced. She used multiple rhetorical techniques to showcase the problems women encountered and the solution to those problems. Bhutto’s speech serves as a timeless and empowering piece of rhetoric for women’s rights.   

Benazir Bhutto speaking at the 1995 UN Women’s Conference in Beijing.

At the beginning of her speech, Bhutto argues that “Women have become the victims of a culture of exclusion and male dominance”. The word choice of “victims” and “dominance” emphasize the imbalance in the power dynamic between men and women. The contrasting nature of the words furthers the idea that women face more than just deprivation. Women are oppressed. Bhutto then further proves her point by using statistics to give credibility to her claim. She states that “Seventy percent of the children who are denied elementary education are girls”.

Illiteracy hinders individuals from surviving in society. People who lack education are forced to the bottom of the socio-economic hierarchy and have little chances of mobility. These individuals work strenuous low-paying jobs causing them to become society’s scapegoats for poverty. Marginalized and malnourished these individuals struggle to survive. Feeding and keeping their youth alive is prioritized over educating them, resulting in a cycle of illiteracy.

The fact that the majority of these individuals are female showcases that women are inclined to struggle financially and socially. What makes the situation worse is that women are deliberately declined an education. Bhutto explains that this is because “…obscurantists believe in discrimination. Discrimination is the first step to dictatorship and the usurpation of power.”

Although such discrimination is specifically centered toward women, the goal of the oppressors is tyranny over men and women. The words “dictatorship” and “usurpation” hold negative connotations that evoke fear. The thought of someone ruthless seizing power is a universal phobia. 

Bhutto points out that the sexism women face is a part of something more brutal that will ultimately hurt everyone, regardless of gender. Her rhetoric works to convince her male audience to aid women because discrimination is harmful to men as well. Therefore, helping women is essentially helping themselves. 

Bhutto then goes on to discuss the possible solutions to these problems. She uses an anecdote filled with imagery to describe her visit to a poverty-stricken village. She states that the only solution to the problem’s women face is to “…invest in our women”. She believes that financial literacy is the key to independent and confident women. Bhutto talks about the importance of women beginning to work in “…far-flung villages where time seems to have stood still and where the Bullock, not the tractor is still used for cultivation”. Here she uses figurative language to emphasize that women’s rights are timeless and that humans are stuck in a paradox of time where development is halted due to the rigid structure of society.

Bhutto personifies time when she says, “time seems to have stood still”. She repeats this technique later in the next paragraph when she personifies poverty. She states that the areas that need to be prioritized are “Where poverty stalks the land with an appetite that cannot be controlled until we wake up to the twin reality of population control and women’s empowerment.” Her use of personification is symbolic because it introduces the idea that both time and poverty resemble humans. If they can act like humans, they can be controlled like humans. It alludes to the idea that these two major hurdles that stand in the way of women are controlled by humans.

To solve the issue of women’s rights, we need to recognize our part in the problem and work to help those who need it. Breaking the shackles that bond these women is an insignificant part of the duty we have towards women’s rights as humans. Empowering women holds greater value.   

Oppression is uprooted when the seeds of social justice are sowed. Bhutto uses repetition to cement this idea into the minds of her audience. She poetically states that:

“Social justice is a triad of freedom, of equality, of liberty:

Justice is political liberty.
Justice is economic independence.
Justice is social equality.

Delegates, Sisters !

Empowerment is not only a right to have political freedom. Empowerment
is the right to be independent; to be educated; to have choices in life.

Empowerment is the right to have the opportunity to select a productive
career; to own property; to participate in business; to flourish in the
market place.”

When individuals have equal opportunities and the freedom to make their choices society can start to develop. Therefore, societal progression is incumbent on social justice. She then goes into detail stating that pure social justice takes place when empowerment takes place in all three categories. Bhutto introduces that empowerment consists not just of encouragement but also of adherence to basic human rights.

Here, Bhutto also uses repetition to get across her point. Throughout the course of the speech, Bhutto is seen consistently using repetition. As an orator, repetition helps the speaker hold the attention of the audience. However, this example stands out amongst the others due to the short syntax of the sentences. The use of semicolons and periods creates a diverse range of pauses. This allows for shorter phrases that allow for more emphasis on each phrase. This allows for the attention of the audience to linger over each idea longer. In Bhutto’s case, the technique helped her bring attention to her proposed solution of empowering women by creating affluent educational, social, political, and financial opportunities for them.   

At the end of her speech, Bhutto conveys a feeling of hope towards the future. She accomplished this because of the optimistic tone she portrayed through selective diction. Bhutto used words like “opportunities”, “protected”, “peace” and “development” to end her speech in a positive tone. She ends with hope for the future based on the solutions she has provided for the problem she has highlighted.

Bhutto’s main goal was to inspire her diverse audience to act for women’s rights. She helped them understand the problems by giving specific examples. She then proposed the solution to the problem. But, in the end, she leaves everything in the hands of her audience, taking up the role of a mere messenger. Bhutto is successful in convincing her audience to work for women’s rights.

Bhutto’s speech is courageous and a reflection of herself as a woman and as a world leader. This speech is one of many rhetorical pieces by Bhutto that define her legacy as one of valor. Bhutto always embraced the truth, voiced it, and fought for it. She didn’t just speak to the world, she made the world listen to her.

Benazir Bhutto posing with her three children.