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Brick by Brick: Pakistan's Women Strain to Pay Off Debt

<p>Pakistani brick factory worker, comforts her crying daughter at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan.</p>
Image: Women at a brick factory in Pakistan
Khurshid Mumtaz, 25, a Pakistani brick factory worker, comforts her crying daughter Haima, 4, while posing for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Khurshid and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 194,000 rupees (approximately $1940).Muhammed Muheisen / AP
/ Source: The Associated Press

Women have limited opportunities in Pakistan's highly traditional, patriarchal society. Khurshid Mumtaz, 25, a Pakistani brick factory worker, comforts her crying daughter Haima, 4, while posing for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Khurshid and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 194,000 rupees (approximately $1940).

Image: Women at a brick factory in Pakistan
Emna Mohammed, 65, a Pakistani brick factory worker, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Emna inherited her late husband's debt to the employer the amount of 95,000 rupees (approximately $950).Muhammed Muheisen / AP
Image: Women at a brick factory in Pakistan
Samina Manzoor, 27, a Pakistani brick factory worker, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Samina and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 300,000 rupees (approximately $3000).Muhammed Muheisen / AP
Image: Women at a brick factory in Pakistan
Ghaziya Iqbal, 35, a Pakistani brick factory worker, breast-feeds her child Farman, 9 months old, at the site of her work on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. Ghaziya and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 250,000 rupees (approximately $2500).Muhammed Muheisen / AP