After her statements on marriage in a Vogue interview sparked controversy, Malala Yousafzai clarified her statements in another Vogue interview post-marriage.
The education activist clarified how her previous statement wasn’t against marriage. Malala Yousafzai shared how her earlier statement about the institution of marriage was about the hardships women usually face afterward. From sacrificing education to careers women are coerced into giving up a lot for marriage.
“Many girls I grew up with were married even before they had the opportunity to decide on a career for themselves. One friend had a child when she was just 14-years-old.”
Particularly with girls being compelled to drop out of their schools due to their family’s lack of finances and how women are then married off to ‘reduce financial burden’ on the family.
“Their parents decided that their education was not worth the cost.”
Being aware of this dark reality, at the time of her previous interview in July, Malala Yousafzai wasn’t the biggest advocate for marriage. She felt marriage just wasn’t for her.
“I found it hard to think of the concept of marriage, of one day being someone’s wife. I said what I had so often said before – that maybe it was possible that marriage was not for me.”
The 24-year-old activist later changed her mind after meeting Asser back in 2018. The LUMS grad turned out to be her best friend and made her question her stance on marriage.
“But what if there was another way? … With education, awareness, and empowerment, we can start to redefine the concept of marriage and the structure of relationships, along with many other social norms and practices. Culture is made by people – and people can change it too. My conversations with my friends, mentors and my now partner Asser helped me consider how I could have a relationship, a marriage and remain true to my values of equality, fairness, and integrity.”
The Nobel laureate announced news of her marriage to fellow Pakistani Asser Malik on November 9th. While most people congratulated the couple on hitting that milestone, many used the opportunity to troll the activist on her previous statements about marriage.
