Good question.  What is striking about this piece is how vividly it demonstrates the power of Money to overthrow (undermine?) age-old cultural norms in the matter of a few short years.  In this case, Money trumped misogyny, seemingly with ease:

A Pakistani woman is often forbidden to leave the house without her husband's permission, but husbands tolerate these meetings because the women return with cash and investment ideas. <...>

Saima took her elder daughter back from the aunt and began paying off her husband's debt. <...>

She doesn't even pretend to be subordinate to her husband. ... He has become more impressed with females in general: Saima had a third child, also a girl, but now that's not a problem. "Girls are just as good as boys," he explained. <...>

Sharifa Bibi, the mother-in-law, looked shocked when we asked whether she wanted her son to take a second wife to bear a son. "No, no," she said. "Saima is bringing so much to this house. . . . She puts a roof over our heads and food on the table." ...

Well, then again:

"A woman should know her limits, and if not, then it's her husband's right to beat her," Sharifa said. "But if a woman earns more than her husband, it's difficult for him to discipline her."