This study is an examination of two classic coming-of-age novels by two women: The Open Door (al- Bab al-maftuh) by Latifa al-Zayyat and The Inner Courtyard (Angan) by Khadija Mastoor. Zayyat and Mastoor are pioneer authors for women’s issues in Egypt and Pakistan respectively. Their works are equally important and widely read, mostly by women, in their countries and beyond. The Open Door, published in 1960, was written in Arabic, whereas The Inner Courtyard, published in 1962 was written in Urdu. These works depict the national liberation struggles of both Egypt and Pakistan and their effects on both societies. Zayyat and Mastoor highlight feminist voices and represent women’s resistance against colonial and patriarchal oppression in their respective societies. This presentation will analyze these novels as case studies in order to examine the traditional, colonial, and post-colonial bondage in Egyptian and Pakistani society, and how this bondage held power over society and the lives of women. Zayyat and Mastoor bring light to the women’s consciousness and growth as strong members of their societies. Through their protagonists, Layla and Aaliya, they depict women’s appearances in public spaces as a challenge to the oppressive elements in society. They illustrate how in private spaces elders negatively follow the traditional norms and make life difficult for the younger generation Set in two geographically distant countries in the mid-twentieth century these novels have similarities and dissimilarities in depicting the lives of women during that time period. This paper is a historical analysis of both societies. Egyptian society, which was going through a revolutionary transition of the feminist struggle provided Zayyat the ground to further the cause for the emancipation of women. But Pakistani society, which in the novel had recently achieved its independence, was not as prepared as the Egyptian society. This is why a feminist like Mastoor sketched a character like Aaliya, who was not a fighter like Zayyat’s character Layla. Ultimately, this study proposes an alternative view of gender studies for both Egyptian and Pakistani societies.