Exploring the Influence of Sociocultural Norms and Gender Biases on Women’s Empowerment in Pakistan
Citation
FIZZA, KANEEZ. 2023. Exploring the Influence of Sociocultural Norms and Gender Biases on Women’s Empowerment in Pakistan. Master's thesis, Harvard University Division of Continuing Education.Abstract
Gender-based discrimination continues to be widely prevalent across the globe, particularly in developing countries. The WEF Global Gender Gap Report 2021 ranks Pakistan as one of the five worst countries for women on the Global Gender Gap Index. Despite having equal constitutional rights in place, the practical standing of women in Pakistani society remains subordinate to men. Why have women’s constitutional rights not translated into their equal standing in society? To answer this question, this study puts forth the hypothesis that sociocultural norms and gender biases are hindering progress towards women’s empowerment in Pakistan. This study tests the hypothesis by exploring how sociocultural norms and gender biases influence women’s access to three strategic empowerment areas, including education, employment, and political freedom. Study findings confirm widespread gender biases and gender discrimination in Pakistan, which has severe implications for women, as they face security concerns, mobility restrictions, limited educational and professionaladvancement opportunities, and other complex challenges. Furthermore, results suggest that gender biases may influence women’s access to the three empowerment areas in varying degrees. However, political dimension shows the weakest correlation between gender biases and gender outcomes; Bangladesh is explored as an outlier. With the assumption that traditional norms are more pronounced in rural areas, results from an urban and rural analysis show that while women in rural areas face more disadvantages in education, women in rural areas have higher employment rates than their urban
counterparts. Moreover, employment gender gaps were found to be lower in a majority of Pakistan’s rural regions than in urban areas, with the exception of Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), one of the most rural regions in Pakistan, where the highest employment gender gap and lowest female employment rates were observed. The lowest employment gender gap was observed in rural Sindh. Overall, this research finds that while sociocultural norms, patriarchal trends, and gender biases hinder women’s empowerment, they are not the only determinants of gender outcomes in Pakistan, as
there are many other factors at play. Existing literature has helped surface other crucial factors that play a role in gender outcomes, such as economic development and state capacity. However, what’s missing is a holistic view and understanding of how sociocultural norms are influencing gender landscape in Pakistan and women’s access to the three empowerment areas, which this research attempts to address.
Terms of Use
This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of-use#LAACitable link to this page
https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37375027
Collections
- DCE Theses and Dissertations [1331]
Contact administrator regarding this item (to report mistakes or request changes)