Research
Pakhtun Social Structure and Its Impacts on Womenas Education
The current study analyze the social structural dimension of Pakhtun society emphasizing on the cultural, economic, physical, religious and political factors to women’s education. A quantitative approach was adopted and the data was collected from 323 male and female respondents of eight Union Councils of District Dir lower using stratified random sampling (proportionate method) and interview schedule. The data was analyzed using SPSS and discussion was made over the collected data. The empirical results show that there exists a strong relationship between the structural impediments including, system of patriarchy, male dominance, customs and traditions, religious misinterpretation, feudalism etc and women’s education. The analysis further suggested that a comprehensive strategy including provision of education, the role of mass media, policy making in regard to women’s empowerment and religious knowledge and the role of religious leader is basic for brining equality at the educational spheres.
Menas Adamancy vs. Womenas Fidelity: An Anthropological Analysis of Menas Perception Regarding Womenas Empowerment in Pakhtun Society
The current study is an anthropological analysis of men’s perception towards women’s empowerment based on quantitative and qualitative approach. Chakdara town of District Dir (Lower), Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Pakistan was ethnographically selected and a survey of 4564 households has been analyzed which was conducted during the PhD field study in 2008, where data was collected through semistructured interview schedule from a total of 100 respondents including religious scholars, educated males and females. Besides, the researchers have enumerated the issue under the extensive study pertaining relevant communal and global literature dealing with Pakhtun culture with a theoretical framework including Gender and Development Model and Women Empowerment Forum.
Sociological Study of the Cultural Obstructions to Womenas Political Participation in Pakistan
Women’s historic exclusion from political structures and processes is the result of multiple structural, functional and personal factors that vary in different social contexts across countries. Political empowerment is among the key issues in third world in general and in pakistan in particular. Despite the fact that there are 33% reserved seats available in both the national and local bodies or electoral college, but due to social and cultural milieu, the participation of female is comparatively meager to male. The current study is an attempt to analyze those cultural barriers, which obstruct female participation and make them disempowered in their political decision making. The study is conducted in ramora village where the data is collected from 150 respondents selected through purposive sampling using semistructure interview schedule. A quantitative approach is utilized with the help of spss (bivariate analysis, chi-square, lambda, gamma and correlation tests) in order to analyze data while the discussion is made-up upon the frequency, percentage, pictorial forms.
A Paradigm Shift in Womenas Movement and Gender Reforms in Pakistan (A Historical Overview)
The current paper is a historical analysis of the women’s movement and gender reforms in Pakistan. The study is based upon secondary information following an evolutionary perspective with regard to social change and development. Library method as source of data collection has been used in the study particularly, the data used in the paper has been taken from a PhD dissertation in Anthropology, conducted in the year 2008-12 in the Department of Anthropology Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad under the scholarship scheme of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Most of the information in the current study provides detail about gender and women’s reforms in Pakistan where the information have been describes in the form qualitative report. The paper concludes that women’s movement and gender reforms are the outcome of long historic process and such process are mostly obstructed by multiple factors including the conservative forces. Besides, such challenges, there is always the possibility of change and development as clear from the gender reforms in Pakistan.
Feminist Discourse Analysis in Islamic Feminism
The discussion in the current debate primarily explores the major areas in Islamic discourses that are criticized by scholars and critics. The current debate aims to investigate and illuminate the true and transparent Islamic picture of the areas (criticized) by the western school of feminism. An attempt has been made to link the debate in the prevailing scholarships to find out the relevant answer to the questions put forward by the mentioned feminists and to develop a paradigm more harmonious and acceptable in the old discourses. Besides, the debate encompasses valuable inputs and provides an argument that leads to mediation between the two poles of controversies.
