Thirty-four-year-old Hina Sadaf Butt has been running Anabia girls’ hostel in Islamabad, Pakistan for the past eight years. She now has three employees. “Running a business and a house simultaneously is very hard. I get very little time to sleep.”
Hina, like many women worldwide, faces the challenge of balancing family life with business. “When I started in business my daughter Anabia was only five months old. I wanted something that I could do without being far from home and give quality time to both my business and daughter,” Hina says. “Initially I faced a lot of criticism. Many people told me it is a very big responsibility, and I was too young. But as we grew and people saw our work, the place started to get recognition, then people were reassured that this is a safe place for them to send their daughters.”
“It is said that this is a man’s world, and it’s a common thought that a woman cannot do business, but I overcame this barrier and proved myself by running a business.”
As her work increased, Hina worried about her other duties. “Being a mother, I try my best to spend quality time with my children and be an active part of my family, but it’s not easy to do. Running a business and a house simultaneously is very hard,” she says. “I get very little time to sleep. I have faced many challenges as a woman. It is said that this is a man’s world, and it’s a common thought that a woman cannot do business, but I overcame this barrier and proved myself by running a business.”
When COVID-19 hit, Hina knew she needed to adapt and moved the hostel to a smaller capacity building because of the reduced number of clients. “We suffered a lot. There came a point at which we thought that we might not be able to stand our ground anymore. Yet I overcame the challenges and went on.”
