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Articles 1 - 25 of 25
Full-Text Articles in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Women And Vulnerable Employment In The Developing World: Evidence From Pakistan, Zubaria Andlib, Sameen Zafar
Women And Vulnerable Employment In The Developing World: Evidence From Pakistan, Zubaria Andlib, Sameen Zafar
Journal of International Women's Studies
There are a dearth of studies that directly focus on women engaged in vulnerable employment in developing countries. Our study empirically investigates the factors that determine the large share of contributing family workers in the total employment of women in Pakistan in order to underscore the severity of vulnerable employment among women. The study utilizes the logit model for the primary empirical analysis and employs the recent and previously unexplored Pakistan Labor Force Surveys of 2014-15 and 2018-19 to conduct the econometric analysis. To explore the factors associated with women’s vulnerable employment in Pakistan, our study segregates the employment statuses …
Analyzing Global And Local Media Representations Of Malala Yousafzai, Aman Ullah, Zafar Khan, Mahrukh Shakir, Zahid Ali Shah, Rahman Ullah
Analyzing Global And Local Media Representations Of Malala Yousafzai, Aman Ullah, Zafar Khan, Mahrukh Shakir, Zahid Ali Shah, Rahman Ullah
Journal of International Women's Studies
During the War on Terror, when high rates of violence were occurring and schools were being forcefully torn down in Swat Valley of Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai fought for girls’ education rights. At just 17 years old, Malala Yousafzai has inspired people around the world with her passion and determination to make sure girls everywhere can get an education. When the Taliban tried to silence her, Malala answered their brutality with strength and resolve. Soon in the international media, she was acclaimed as a brave hero and later honored with a Nobel Prize. She received a mixed response for her efforts …
Student Perceptions Of Gender Studies As An Academic Discipline In Pakistan, Rabbia Aslam, Saad Ali Khan
Student Perceptions Of Gender Studies As An Academic Discipline In Pakistan, Rabbia Aslam, Saad Ali Khan
Journal of International Women's Studies
The article aimed to highlight the varied perceptions of students studying Gender Studies as an academic discipline at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Pakistan. The research objective of this article was to document the students’ experiences, perceptions, misconceptions, and anxieties regarding Gender Studies. This research is the result of a continuous journey in this field where we have actively engaged and interacted with students studying in various semesters. The research was qualitative in nature and in-depth interview guidelines were employed to conduct interviews with the students of the Center of Excellence in Gender Studies (CEGS) at QAU, Islamabad. The sample size consisted …
Gender, Sexuality And Representation In Pakistani Literature: Qandeel Baloch As A Victim Of Honor Killing, Nukhbah Taj Langah, Sumera Umrani
Gender, Sexuality And Representation In Pakistani Literature: Qandeel Baloch As A Victim Of Honor Killing, Nukhbah Taj Langah, Sumera Umrani
Journal of International Women's Studies
The article discusses women’s bodies as victims of violence by regarding gender as a stereotype as compared to a social construct within the context of Pakistan. The primary sources for this analysis are a sample of investigative journalism based on the life of a Pakistani social media figure Qandeel Baloch as depicted in The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch (2018) by Sanam Maher. We contend that the conventional expectations of women in Pakistan have resulted in crimes like honor killing. Through textual analysis of Maher’s account, we debate the concept of honor killing within the Pakistani context, with …
Socio-Cultural Determinants Of Women’S Homelessness: A Study Of Dar-Ul-Aman, Multan, Mahwish Rasheed, Tayyaba Batool Tahir, Zahid Zulfiqar
Socio-Cultural Determinants Of Women’S Homelessness: A Study Of Dar-Ul-Aman, Multan, Mahwish Rasheed, Tayyaba Batool Tahir, Zahid Zulfiqar
Journal of International Women's Studies
Home is an integral element of the Pakistani family system, and the idea of home is deeply embedded in Pakistani women’s consciousness. The prime objective of this study is to explore the socio-cultural factors responsible for women’s homelessness. This study highlights various determinants that lead women to leave their homes. The issue of women fleeing from their homes is a matter of disregard in Pakistan’s culture, such an action is considered as an issue of family’s self-image, respect, and honour. In the present study, Marxist and feminist lenses have been used to indicate women’s secondary status that is responsible for …
Feminists As Cultural ‘Assassinators’ Of Pakistan, Afiya Shehrbano Zia
Feminists As Cultural ‘Assassinators’ Of Pakistan, Afiya Shehrbano Zia
Journal of International Women's Studies
Pakistan’s annual Aurat March (Women’s March) signifies a milestone in the culture of feminist protest, but a tense impasse follows a series of encounters between sexual and religious politics, and this has serious implications for rights-based activism in the Islamic Republic.
Women’S Empowerment In Pakistan: Dissection Of Paradoxical Depth, Sarwat Rauf
Women’S Empowerment In Pakistan: Dissection Of Paradoxical Depth, Sarwat Rauf
Journal of International Women's Studies
This article analyzes the status of women in Pakistan as well as the effectiveness of new legislation on women’s empowerment in Pakistan. I examine the impact of governmental efforts to empower women on social practices in Pakistan. The concept of women's empowerment is becoming popular horizontally, but vertically, actual empowerment is hindered because of the glass-ceiling and social taboos; hence, a lot of sincere and strenuous efforts are required to change the prevailing mindset. To support gender equality, Pakistan, like other states, encourages women's participation in social, political and economic spheres. However, the success of a few female role models …
Lack Of Data And Dialogue On Female Genital Mutilation In Pakistan, Huda Syyed
Lack Of Data And Dialogue On Female Genital Mutilation In Pakistan, Huda Syyed
Journal of International Women's Studies
Female genital mutilation (FGM) affects women in many countries and carries significant socio-sexual and cultural implications such as affected female sexual pleasure and a strong association with traditions which are believed to form a cultural identity. This essay explored the lack of data and discourse regarding this practice among the Dawoodi Bohra community in Pakistan. Due to the Pakistani government’s lack of recognition and public dialogue on this issue, there remains no official laws, statistics, or empirical research about the ritual. Despite the rise of feminism and women’s empowerment in many contemporary societies, Pakistan has not initiated any FGM debate …
Violence Against Media Personas: A Comparative Study Of Women Journalists In Pakistan And England, Iqra Iqbal
Violence Against Media Personas: A Comparative Study Of Women Journalists In Pakistan And England, Iqra Iqbal
Journal of International Women's Studies
Gender is a critical tool for studying power dynamics within various organisations. The primary objective of this study is to examine how gender-targeted assault against females has increased in the profession of journalism. Below is a comprehensive picture of the extent of dangerous situations to which many women working in news media of England and Pakistan were subjected to. This research presents the insidious coercion endured by female journalists and considers how these incidents affect their ability to conduct their work on a professional level in the media industries of each country. It is important to note that the objective …
Women’S Empowerment And Antenatal Care Utilization In Pakistan, Kashif Siddique, Raana Malik, Irum Batool, Ahmed Usman, Salman Bin Naeem
Women’S Empowerment And Antenatal Care Utilization In Pakistan, Kashif Siddique, Raana Malik, Irum Batool, Ahmed Usman, Salman Bin Naeem
Journal of International Women's Studies
This study aimed at examining the role of women’s empowerment in antenatal care utilization among married women in Pakistan. The population of the study was based on secondary data from the Pakistan Demographic Health Survey 2017-18. A sample of 6,996 married women was selected, and the women reported their antenatal visits in the last five years. The descriptive, Chi-square, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression methods were used for data analysis through SPSS. The results of the study showed that only 15% of women had adequate antenatal visits. Bivariate analysis showed that women who had higher income status, higher education, and …
Negotiating Sexual Harassment: Experiences Of Women Academic Leaders In Pakistan, Aisha Bhatti, Rabia Ali
Negotiating Sexual Harassment: Experiences Of Women Academic Leaders In Pakistan, Aisha Bhatti, Rabia Ali
Journal of International Women's Studies
This paper endeavors to explore sexual harassment encountered by women leaders in Pakistani academia. An in-depth interview method was used to gain insight from women academic administrators working in coeducational universities in two cities of Pakistan. The interviews were analyzed using Foucauldian discourse analysis. The findings highlight that women leaders were sexually harassed by men at positions of power as well as co-workers and subordinates. The acts of harassment were expressed mostly through the use of inappropriate language such as jokes, demeaning comments and sexual remarks, undue offers of promotion for exchange of favors, and use of traditional words instead …
Covid-19 And Domestic Violence In Pakistan: An Analysis Of The Media Perspective, Rabia Ali, Asma Khalid
Covid-19 And Domestic Violence In Pakistan: An Analysis Of The Media Perspective, Rabia Ali, Asma Khalid
Journal of International Women's Studies
There has been an alarming increase in domestic violence (DV) cases in different parts of the world amidst COVID-19 related lockdowns in 2020-2021. This paper aims to understand the prevalence of DV in Pakistan through the analysis of online media sources published during the lockdown period. The objectives of this research include the questions (1) how was the issue of DV presented in the Pakistani media during the lockdown period? and (2) what messages were conveyed by the media discourses? A summative qualitative content analysis was used as a method for data collection and analysis. Three national newspapers were selected …
Exploring Breast Cancer Patients’ Experiences Of Struggle Against Socio-Economic And Geographical Barriers In Rural Pakistan, Nadia Agha, Maliha Gull Tarar, Rahim Dad Rind
Exploring Breast Cancer Patients’ Experiences Of Struggle Against Socio-Economic And Geographical Barriers In Rural Pakistan, Nadia Agha, Maliha Gull Tarar, Rahim Dad Rind
Journal of International Women's Studies
This study offers insights into the barriers experienced by Breast Cancer (BC) patients from less privileged rural areas of Pakistan. We conducted in-depth interviews with 42 BC survivors, from the northern Sindh in southern Pakistan, to explore and analyse knowledge, geographical and financial barriers and how these barriers intersect and complicate BC patients’ lives. Results indicate that most of the women in this study were poor and their families’ health seeking behaviour was influenced by their socio-economic background; their knowledge about the disease was limited and they were unable to appropriately assess the symptoms for months, which caused delay. Based …
Women’S Social Empowerment And Microfinance: A Brief Review Of Literature, Ambreen Khursheed, Ather Azim Khan, Faisal Mustafa
Women’S Social Empowerment And Microfinance: A Brief Review Of Literature, Ambreen Khursheed, Ather Azim Khan, Faisal Mustafa
Journal of International Women's Studies
Women’s empowerment is essential for socio-economic development as it is considered as one of the major factors for increasing worldwide development efforts. The influence of microfinance on women's empowerment is a debatable topic, as past studies have documented. Some researchers claim that microfinance facilitates women to increase their earning capacity, leading to greater control to tackle cultural irregularities. Others contend that their spouses mostly control micro-loans provided to women, causing severe demotion of women. In this paper, we examined the findings of past studies through word cloud analysis to determine the influence of microfinance on the decision-making power of women …
The Shadow Pandemic: Violence Against Women In Pakistan During Covid-19 Lockdown, Malik Mamoon Munir, Malik Haroon Munir, Ume Rubaca
The Shadow Pandemic: Violence Against Women In Pakistan During Covid-19 Lockdown, Malik Mamoon Munir, Malik Haroon Munir, Ume Rubaca
Journal of International Women's Studies
The present study documents the vital outcome of COVID-19 lockdown on the lifespan of women in Pakistan. The lockdown has affected the unemployment rate, particularly in the rural region of the country. Passing along the eleven in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion (FGD) conducted in rural parts of the twin cities (Islamabad & Rawalpindi), the survey demonstrated that the ruination of the income level during COVID-19 lockdown has increased partner violence in the country. The information received further revealed that the bread earners of the families are enduring greater levels of stress and anxiety eventually resulting in a substantial …
Not Accepting Abuse As The Norm: Local Forms Of Institutional Reform To Improve Reporting On Domestic Violence In Punjab, Maryam Tanwir, Shailaja Fennell, Hafsah Rehman Lak, Salman Sufi
Not Accepting Abuse As The Norm: Local Forms Of Institutional Reform To Improve Reporting On Domestic Violence In Punjab, Maryam Tanwir, Shailaja Fennell, Hafsah Rehman Lak, Salman Sufi
Journal of International Women's Studies
Gendered social norms are difficult to overcome, due to a lack of consensus among legal, religious, and social institutions on the direction that will result in new social norms. In the case of Pakistan, which ranks sixth on the list of the most dangerous countries for women, it is not possible to change gendered social norms regarding domestic violence by only focusing on legal reform since, in its social context, the act of domestic violence is not in itself regarded as a serious offence. This article explores reform in Punjab, where deeply entrenched legal structural obstacles and discriminatory gender norms …
The War On Terror Is A War On Women: The Impact Of Terrorism And Counter-Terrorism On Women's Education In Swat, Khyber Pukhtunkhwah (Pakistan), Shabana Shamaas Gul Khattak
The War On Terror Is A War On Women: The Impact Of Terrorism And Counter-Terrorism On Women's Education In Swat, Khyber Pukhtunkhwah (Pakistan), Shabana Shamaas Gul Khattak
Journal of International Women's Studies
This article was derived from the author’s Postdoctoral Study, ‘The War on Terror is a War on Women in Swat Valley: Women’s Education under Terror and Displacement (2006-2011). Women’s education was affected the most during periods of terrorism in Swat Valley. The main targets of the militants were women’s educational institutes. The situation further worsened when the state government launched military operations in the name of the war on terror (counter-terrorism), which forced a huge number of local inhabitants to leave the valley and utterly blocked their educational accessibility for a long time. This study addresses how those women …
Defying Marginalization: Emergence Of Women’S Organizations And The Resistance Movement In Pakistan: A Historical Overview, Rahat Imran, Imran Munir
Defying Marginalization: Emergence Of Women’S Organizations And The Resistance Movement In Pakistan: A Historical Overview, Rahat Imran, Imran Munir
Journal of International Women's Studies
In the wake of Pakistani dictator General-Zia-ul-Haq’s Islamization process (1977-1988), the country experienced an unprecedented tilt towards religious fundamentalism. This initiated judicial transformations that brought in rigid Islamic Sharia laws that impacted women’s freedoms and participation in the public sphere, and gender-specific curbs and policies on the pretext of implementing a religious identity. This suffocating environment that eroded women’s rights in particular through a recourse to politicization of religion also saw the emergence of equally strong resistance, particularly by women who, for the first time in Pakistan’s history, grouped and mobilized an organized activist women’s movement to challenge Zia’s oppressive …
Relevance Of Education For Women’S Empowerment In Punjab, Pakistan, Shehzadi Zamurrad Awan
Relevance Of Education For Women’S Empowerment In Punjab, Pakistan, Shehzadi Zamurrad Awan
Journal of International Women's Studies
In Pakistan, women’s empowerment has always been a subjective matter of debate among the media, civil society and the state machinery because of its multifarious connotations and dimensions. The focus of my study is to evaluate how, along with many other agents of modernization (for example, media, state legislation, and civil society), female education plays a fundamental role in transforming the traditionally conceived submissive role of Punjabi women into individuals, whose potentials are fully realized. Although in comparison with males, the female literacy rate and workforce percentages have been disappointing in Pakistan. Nevertheless some improvement can be witnessed, depending on …
Women Councilors For Women's Empowerment In Pakistan, Iqtidar Ali Shah, Arshad Aziz, M. Shakil Ahmad
Women Councilors For Women's Empowerment In Pakistan, Iqtidar Ali Shah, Arshad Aziz, M. Shakil Ahmad
Journal of International Women's Studies
There are considerable disparities between the status of men and women in Pakistan. In Global Gender Gap Report 2014, Pakistan is ranked at 141 among 142 countries of the world and the overall gender gap calculated is 44.78%. Pakistan occupies the last place in the regional ranking of gender gap. In order to reduce this gap, empower women and reduce poverty, the government of Pakistan has adopted various social, economic, legal and political strategies and policies. The reservation of 33% seats for women at union council (village level), tehsil council (sub-district level) and district council level under the new local …
Exploring The Contribution Of Teaching And Learning Processes: Constructing Students’ Gender Identity In An Early Years Classroom Of A Government Girls Primary School In Pakistan, Amina Bibi Baig
Journal of International Women's Studies
The construction of gender identity is a complex process which begins at a very early formative age. In these formative years, children begin making sense of how men and women are positioned in society. Schools as important institutions play a significant role in this process particularly with reference to students’ understanding of the gender relationships around them. This article reports on a study which explored how gender identity construction takes place in a single sex (girls) classroom for early years. The study investigated the teacher-student interactions and student-student interactions in the real environment of the classroom. Qualitative research guided the …
Gender Neutrality And The Pakistani Bureaucracy, Maryam Tanwir
Gender Neutrality And The Pakistani Bureaucracy, Maryam Tanwir
Journal of International Women's Studies
Pakistan inherited the British Weberian model at its birth in 1947 (Braibanti, 1966). The Weberian framework is the basis of the professional code of the Pakistani bureaucracy. The Framework highlights the importance of gender neutrality towards ensuring impartiality, promotion of merit and efficiency in organizations. The Pakistani bureaucracy has been categorized as being Weberian by recent research, and hence should be gender neutral. This paper examines if the Pakistani bureaucracy is indeed gender neutral. It inspects the gender norms prevalent in the context of the macro sociocultural environment in Pakistan and finds that these norms are reflected in women’s position …
Socio-Cultural, Environmental And Health Challenges Facing Women And Children Living Near The Borders Between Afghanistan, Iran And Pakistan (Aip Region), Iraj M. Poureslami, David R. Maclean, Jerry Spiegel, Annalee Yassi
Socio-Cultural, Environmental And Health Challenges Facing Women And Children Living Near The Borders Between Afghanistan, Iran And Pakistan (Aip Region), Iraj M. Poureslami, David R. Maclean, Jerry Spiegel, Annalee Yassi
Journal of International Women's Studies
For hundreds of years, people in the AIP region (the Afghanistan-Iran-Pakistan borders) have been challenged by conflict and political and civil instability, mass displacement, human rights abuses, drought and famine. Given this sad history, it not surprising that in this region health and quality of life of vulnerable groups are among the worst in the world. In spite of national and international efforts to improve health status of vulnerable populations in this region, the key underlying socio-cultural determinants of health and disparities, i.e. gender, language, ethnicity, residential status, and socio-economic status (SES), have not been addressed or even systematically studied, …
Attitudes Toward Women Managers In Turkey And Pakistan, Semra Güney, Raheel Gohar, Sevcan Kılıç Akıncı, Mehmet Mutlu Akıncı
Attitudes Toward Women Managers In Turkey And Pakistan, Semra Güney, Raheel Gohar, Sevcan Kılıç Akıncı, Mehmet Mutlu Akıncı
Journal of International Women's Studies
This paper examines managerial attitudes toward women managers in Turkey and Pakistan by using “Managerial Attitudes toward Women Executives Scale (MATWES)” and draws a cross-cultural comparison between these two countries’ respondents. Significant differences were found in several managerial attitudes between these two countries’ respondents, and both women and men in Turkey have a negative attitude toward women managers as compared to Pakistani respondents. In contrast to the early findings in the literature, women’s attitudes toward women managers in Turkey were more negative than that of men’s while Pakistani women have more favorable attitudes than Turkish women toward women managers. The …
Engendering The Nation: Women, Islam, And Poetry In Pakistan, Anita Anantharam
Engendering The Nation: Women, Islam, And Poetry In Pakistan, Anita Anantharam
Journal of International Women's Studies
In this essay I offer some examples of reading feminist agency in Pakistan through an analysis of the poems of two of Pakistan’s preeminent feminist poets, Fahmida Riaz (b.1946) and Kishwar Naheed (b.1940). Rather than gesture to their poetry in a strategy of recuperation I contend that their powerful narratives compel us to reevaluate the parameters of contemporary feminist historiography and discourses of nationalism in South Asia. The poems of Fahmida Riaz and Kishwar Naheed are informed by a different set of paradigms about self and community (Islam) and at the same time reflect an archive (poetry) as crucial to …