Pakistani society spends enormous energy deciding what women should want. Very little energy goes into asking what they actually do want. This page is for the latter.
What Pakistani women say they want in relationships
When Pakistani women are given safe spaces to speak honestly — through research, through anonymous surveys, through feminist organising — the same things come up:
- Respect. To be treated as an adult with intelligence, preferences, and rights.
- Safety. To not have to calculate danger in every social interaction.
- Agency. To choose their partner, not have one chosen for them.
- Honesty. Men who say what they want rather than performing what they think women want to hear.
- Consistency. Men who behave the same in private as in public.
- Ambition. Partners who have their own drive and don't require constant emotional maintenance.
What women want from a dating platform
Pakistani women who use dating apps consistently report wanting:
- The ability to initiate without being seen as "easy"
- Protection from unsolicited sexual messages
- Verification that the person is who they say they are
- Consequences for bad behaviour that don't require formal complaints
- Privacy — the ability to explore without their social circle knowing
This is Zinaaa's entire product specification. Women message first. Verification is required. Ratings create consequences. Sparks are private. She controls everything.
"I don't want to be protected. I want to be respected. There's a difference." — Anonymous, Karachi, 2024