Karachi, On the chaotic streets of Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi, where motorcycles weave through relentless traffic and street crime remains a concern, four women are challenging the idea that food and parcel delivery is a man’s job.
At 32, Mehak Baloch has been working as a food delivery rider since her husband died of a terminal illness four years ago. For a city of more than 20 million people, delivery work has become an important source of livelihood for many who have limited opportunities in traditional blue-collar jobs. Mehak Baloch, Rubab Jubani, Sana Urooj and Kiran Fateh have chosen the motorcycle as their route to financial independence, taking up delivery work to support their children and families. Her earnings have since helped keep her household running and support her four children. “At first I used to go out for work dressed and looking like a man as I felt insecure. But over time, I feel more confident now about going to work every day. Sana Urooj was divorced by her husband and left to raise their two children. Instead of allowing the circumstances to hold her back, she decided to take up delivery work. “I saw an interview about Rubab Jubani, how she became Karachi’s first female food delivery rider to support her family, and it inspired me. Karachi’s reputation as a city of food lovers has also helped fuel the growth of digital food delivery, with residents increasingly relying on online platforms to have meals brought to their doorsteps. “I chose to take control of my life after a hardship in our family.
Nothing can give me the happiness I get from providing for my four children independently,” Baloch said. Thankfully, my family has been supportive as well,” Urooj said. Balancing motherhood and trying to be financially independent are tough but rewarding,” Fateh said.
Today, thousands of delivery riders criss-cross Karachi on motorcycles.
