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Stereotyping and discrimination against hijab-wearing women have been studied extensively in many Western countries, which are home to Muslim diasporas. However, there is a paucity of research on Muslim-majority countries. The purpose of this study is to address this gap and explore interpersonal attitudes toward both hijab-wearing and non-hijab-wearing women, in Pakistan, a Muslim Majority country. In this paper, we used the presence or absence of hijab as the independent variable, and measured competence and warmth using items from the Stereotype Content Model (SCM), as well as social and task attraction using items from the Interpersonal Attraction Scale (IAS) as dependent variables. Study 1 included 352 undergraduate students, while Study 2 involved 151 human resource professionals. The findings from both studies were consistent in suggesting that participants had a higher attribution of competence, warmth, and social and task attraction toward the hijab-wearing women compared to the non-hijab-wearing women. Conversely, participants in the non-hijab condition attributed lower levels of warmth, competence, and social and task attraction. We interpret these findings such that in a homogeneous society, individuals who strongly identify with and internalize Muslim culture, and exhibit a preference for their own cultural and religious values (cultural endogamy), attribute higher levels of competence, warmth, social attraction, and task attraction to the protagonist who wears hijab. This research has implications for employment opportunities and attitudes toward women in the workplace in Muslim-majority countries, both for hijabis (women who wear a headscarf) and non-hijabis (women who do not wear hijab). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan still has a patriarchal and feudal social structure where women face violence and discrimination for being women in every sphere of their lives. Over the decades, to reduce the violence and discrimination against women, the government have taken several legislative measures to ensure an improved and equal status for women, but the situation has not been much improved. It is argued that the underlying reason lies in the lack of will at the implementation stage, where male-dominated government institutions support the patriarchal structures. However, the government of Punjab took legislative measures, in the form of the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act (PPWVA) 2016, to protect women from violence and abuse, and to provide justice. The objective of this study is to analyse the situation of violence against women in Punjab and examine the formulation and implementation process of legislation in Punjab for the protection of women against violence, and suggest recommendations for effective implementation of the law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent discrimination against women who prefer to adopt an active lifestyle may be found all over Pakistan, but it is particularly prevalent in rural and remote places. The goal of this research was to have a better understanding of these challenges and develop strategies for overcoming them. In this study, a sampling technique known as the random selection was utilized to select one hundred twenty people from the surrounding locations. For the purpose of collecting information from each of them, a standardized questionnaire was used. According to the research on the data, both religious and cultural factors played a part, although the analysis revealed that religious influences played a more substantial effect. It has been demonstrated that factors of a religious and cultural nature play an important part in the gender discrimination that is directed toward women who live in rural regions and take part in activities that require a high level of physical exertion. In addition, students' low self-esteem was a substantial impediment to their engagement in extracurricular activities, particularly those involving physical activity and sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women academicians in higher education have not received due attention of researchers and scholars generally in Pakistan and particularly in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). This article reveals the lived experiences of women academicians in coeducation higher education institutions (HEIs) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. Our focus in this study is coeducation public sector universities of AJK. The main objective of this qualitative study was to know the working relationships and interactions between women academicians with men colleagues and students. We also examined how women academicians manage their families and academic responsibilities. We interviewed 16 women academicians from two public sector coeducation universities of AJK through a purposive sampling technique. By employing an interview guide, the lived experiences of women academicians were recorded. We analyzed the collected data by using qualitative data analysis technique. The data were interpreted with the concept of pubic patriarchy given by Walby (1990). The findings of this study revealed women academicians? subordination in the patriarchal structure of higher education in AJK. These findings added to the existing knowledge and debate on the lived experiences of women academicians in HEIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminism is a mission for far-reaching transformation of society. It focuses on gendersensitive foreign policy agenda, shifting away from traditional approaches. Therefore, it can be considered more than just gender equality where the goal of gender justice dominates the idea. In 2014, Sweden proclaimed a Feminist Foreign Policy (FPP), followed by Canada in 2017, France and Luxembourg in 2019, and Mexico in 2020 which opened a path for many other countries to follow the trail. Swedish FFP talks about 3 Rs, i-e; Rights, Representation and Resources. The political framework of Feminist Foreign Policy revolves around the welfare of that marginalized faction of the society which has been facing all kinds of oppression emanating from forces of patriarchy, colonization, hetero-normativity, capitalism, racism, imperialism and militarism. The study intends to answer the primary question why it is important for the world to adopt FFP and will it even work in South Asia, particularly Pakistan where gender is one of the consolidating principles of the society. With these ideas' backdrop, Swedish Feminist foreign policy gives us window of opportunity to think over the subject. However, the fact remains that this practice is different from one country to another, one region to another and one culture to another but the important is to be able to prove that it is beneficial for country's concern to include women at the level of society because it is smart economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies is the property of University of Karachi, Centre of Excellence for Women's Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Women's participation and representation in politics at the state level is considered important for gender equality and women's empowerment, but their participation in politics on equal footing with men, remains a distant dream. In this research, an effort has been made to combine gender and politics in terms of a cross-national study to explore the status of women in politics and explore the factors that led them to raise voice against patriarchal society. It is difficult for women to survive with equal rights in that society where religious, economic, and patriarchal mindsets are the main factors that hinder women from actively participating in politics. Women are facing violence and discrimination in politics because maledominated societies have institutionalized and created a mechanism that is against women's rights such as structural, ideological, and functional in politics which have strengthened gender inequality. The descriptive method has been used in this paper to find out women's low participation in the politics of India and Pakistan. The facilitator model is used to identify the patterns of societal as well as structural factors in politics, which prevent and restrict the full participation of women in politics. Findings suggest that the patriarchal and gender-stratified structures govern the society and the women of both countries face violence, but the nature of violence is different in each case. In India, there has been political discrimination against women based on the caste system, and in Pakistan, feudal structures are the main causes of women's low participation in politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Economic Forum in its report, The Global Gender Gap Index 2020, ranked Pakistan at 151th position out of 153 countries just above Iraq and Yemen. Women form almost 50% of Pakistan's total population yet the laws generally lag in properly addressing crimes that violate or deprive the rights of women and girls in the country. Even the laws designed to address issues related to gender-based violence like the "The Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2010" lacks in its purview by not granting protection to women who work in informal workplaces. Despite the Constitution of the country granting rights to each citizen irrespective of their gender and status, discrimination and violence against women and girls is pretty pertinent in Pakistan. This paper takes into account the harrowing situation of gender parity in Pakistan by discussing statistics from different reports and studies while illuminating the gap between rhetoric and implementation on state level. And in that context argues that the state should move to 'securitize' the issue of 'Gender (In)security', given that it concerns a large portion of its population. Gender Security is also an extremely important factor in achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The paper also puts forth recommendations for all three pillars of the state i.e., executive, parliament and judiciary for the addressal of these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of honour killing is a multilayered phenomenon with regard to causes emanating through macro as well as micro level parameters؛ making it a complex form of disorder in a society, and hence considered one of major social and cultural crimes which human societies fall victim to. It cuts through far past and influences various historical stages devastating moral values in the name of honour. It is recorded as well established phenomenon since Babylon civilization existed and codes of Hammurabi laid down in 1780 BC reflected intense prosecutions for guilty persons who brought shame towards a family or honorable sectors of a society. It continued its effect under similar assumptions through the ages of Romans, Anglo-Saxons,. Americans, and stereotype European societies. Later on, it continued its effect to Arabian Peninsula and Middle Eastern states whereby the Islamic ideology was affected due to blaming strategies of Islamic critics. The state of Pakistan felt its vulnerability being susceptible to deteriorating outcomes of honour killing and stepped forward to introduce enlightened legislation to safeguard depressive conditions of women one after another in terms of social, economic, political and educational rights. Pakistan abides by its signatory commitments and thereby follows contents of The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to promote equality of women in every sector of life. The curse of honour killing residing in the Muslim world is sought to be existed since pre-Islamic era. The Quran has ordained strict disapproval of honour killing with greater emphasis and thus Islam protects sanctity of women in an extraordinary manner. The opponents of Islam avail all possible chances to throw blame of such heinous crime on Islam, but their intentions are found malicious and vicious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empowerment is a popular approach concerning women and development. Empowerment considers gender needs from practical and strategic perspectives. The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) emphasizes that for eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination against women requires that women be appropriately empowered to make decisions relating to their interests. Pakistan ratified CEDAW in 1996. CEDAW's article 14 caters to the empowerment of rural women by ending discriminatory practices and tendencies and strengthening their societal roles and meeting their needs. Concerning the Pakistan earthquake recovery effort, it was claimed that women were provided with social and economic opportunities so as to empower them in the long-run in terms of inclusion in decision-making processes. This paper explores and discusses adherence to CEDAW's article on women empowerment as part of the recovery effort in general in the Earth Quake Affected Areas (EQAAs). This study adopted a desktop based thematic review of the issues affecting the role of women during the recovery effort by relying on policy documents as well as CEDAW shadow reports and case studies undertaken in the EQAAs. A careful analysis reveals that concerning strengthening the role of women and their empowerment, the recovery effort produced successes and failures. The achievements in terms of socioeconomic opportunities concerning women empowerment outweigh the weaknesses. The paper concludes that rural women belonging to the earthquake affected areas will achieve socio-economic outcomes in terms of social emancipation, which will bring them closer to women residing in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a common belief that women in Pakistan have limited rights or privileges in a male dominated society. Women fare batter in urban areas and middle and upper sections of society. The condition of women rights in rural areas is very alanning. In fact, women face different kinds of violence such as sexual violence peipetrated by their family members, domestic abuse including spousal murder, beating, threat, honour killings, torture, acid attacks and child custody problems. Islam and most international organisations condemn violation of women rights. The feminist movements have started worldwide to protect women rights and gender-based violence. The current research focused on all those violations which women have to face in their domestic live. The case study of Bahawalpur indicates conservative environment and its impact on women rights violations. Descriptive and analytical method of study was used in this study. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from the different areas of the district Bahawalpur. Legal and punitive measures cannot succeed unless social customs, norms and societal mentality are changed. Meanwhile, better education facilities, opportunities of employments and proper social and political participation can overcome this issue. Moreover, proper implementation of law and justice after violence is necessary to eliminate this problem in the Pakistani society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to study violence faced by rural women due to gender discrimination, and to identify what challenges and risks rural women are facing to respond against this violence. What is the role of Government and NGO's in this whole situation that how much effectively they are helping these rural women against challenges and risks faced by them. In this study three villages of Malakand Division which comes under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were taken under consideration such as Batkhela, Amandara and Alladand Dehri. Total of 150 women were selected, ages between 25-45, 50 from each village, interviews were conducted and through KWIC (Keys words in context) method followed by word count analysis was used for results interpretation .The main challenges reported by these women were, lack of support system, lack of transport system, lack of opportunities, lack of education, early and forced marriages and no ownership in land/property. By interviewing all these women it was easily concluded that government institutions and NGO's (national/international) are putting very less focus on these areas because these are rural areas which can easily be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out in district Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Women in Pakistan are spellbound in a mess of dependency and subordination. They are known to be unprivileged especially in a traditional society of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, province of Pakistan. In recent years most of the microfinance institutions working in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are using micro-credit as a device for women empowerment. The basic purpose of the study was to analyze the impact of micro credit on women empowerment in the research area. Primary data were collected from beneficiaries of microfinance institution, i.e. women borrowers. The results show that these women borrowers are more empowered as established by use of money borrowed, their decisions making ability in household affairs, their contribution in household income and expenditure. Micro credit provided by microfinance institutions also improves their self confidence and self esteem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses women's participation in gender discrimination against other women in the Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa (KPK) province of Pakistan. According to the authors, women and men are equally responsible for the perpetuation of gender discrimination. It is suggested that family systems, women's employment, and education are important factors in the degree to which women will experience discrimination. Details on women's ability to influence decisions on a household level are presented. Other topics include gender discrimination laws, the abuse of female domestic workers, and methods for reducing discrimination.

The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was ratified by Pakistan in 1996. But to what extent has this human rights instrument found a place in state, government and society, in governmental and non-governmental policy documents, in legislation, judicial decisions, governance structures and institutions in Pakistan? Have CEDAW's pre- and post-ratification processes and attendant discourse internalised it within state, government and society? This study suggests that, in a country where pluralism is deeply embedded in legal culture as well as in religious and cultural norms, CEDAW (and indeed human rights instruments in general) has received an ambivalent and mixed reception as the newest layer of plural legalities. The paper draws upon a variety of governmental and non- governmental sources, upon surveys of judicial decisions of the high courts and the Supreme Court that have invoked CEDAW since Pakistan's ratification in 1996, and is informed by the academic literature on the approach of Pakistan and other Muslim states to CEDAW. The paper has a strong experiential component in that it reflects the author's participation in the accession process and thereafter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on women's political participation and mobilization and their important role in implementing a democratic system in Pakistan. It discusses the historical and structural analyses of the political mobilization of women, the impact of women empowerment on women status and the ability of political institutions to evaluate the issue of governance. Factors that continue to contribute to women's subordination are cited including cultural legacy and patriarchal practices.

In this article the significance and importance of information technology has been discussed. In the beginning, it is evaluated that when women entered in the field? When their choice of subject was changed and what were the factors behind this change? What were the obstacles and hindrance, which kept them away from the subject of science and technology? In this perspective some social elements were also discussed. Project and planning regarding National Policy for Information Technology is also evaluated, and obstacles are pointed out. If women are provided better opportunities and facilities their participation in using IT technology will increase significantly. Women are discriminated on gender basis. In this society they are kept away in so many ways from the passage of development. Conscious efforts are made in selecting the fields of education, health care, trainings and economic participation. In this connection, women are also discriminated in joining and participating modern information technology. In this paper, such issues have been discussed in the context of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper is an attempt to analyze the study of low female work participation rate in Pakistan due to the religious, traditional, cultural values, the colonial ideology and the evolution of social institution that restrain women entry into the labour market. Design/methodology/approach - In order to explore the objectives, the paper develops the classification of male and female age groups into three main categories, and analyze with the help of descriptive and mean methodology. Findings - The findings of this paper show that the women are suffering from market discrimination and hence are pushed to separate low-paid and low-status jobs. Majority of women are employed in the unorganized sectors. Mostly, women are concentrated in sector known for low level of productivity, less income stability and low security of employment due to their dual role at home and workplace. Organized services sector is mostly government services, and provides employment to a small proportion of women. The rate of unemployment among women is consistently higher than that of men, both in rural and urban areas. Research limitations/implications - The statistics are reflective of two hard-core realities. The first factor is that women with no education or with some basic education are allowed to work due to intensive poverty and high rate of inflation; and the second factor is that the existing socio-cultural norms continues to strengthen gender discrimination and are a source of a massive wastage of the human capital available in the country. Practical implications - An analysis of structure of women employment reveals some qualitative improvement in the employment, due to high literacy rate and educational levels. Social implications - Increasing levels of female labour force participation rate is a poverty-induced phenomenon; a larger part is to be traced by improvement in literacy and education levels of women. There is some qualitative improvement in the employment, as women's share in secure and better paid jobs in the organized sector appears to be higher. With the increase in educational levels of women, faster growth of women's employment is observed in modern sectors and white-collar jobs. Government machinery, non-governmental organizations and progressive political parties should focus on the education of women if they want to enhance the status of women in Pakistan by implementing special schemes and programmes for absorbing them into different occupations, particularly in organized sector so as to improve their structures of employment as well as status of jobs. Originality/value - Classification of male and female age groups is done into three main categories, i.e. age ten to 14, 25-29 and 55-59 for young, adult and old groups, respectively. This paper provides the clear picture of women problems and causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to explore the factors and constraints affecting labour force participation of women having post graduation in Pakistan, using logit model based on primary data. The trend of women's labor force participation is improving over time in Pakistan but it is still very low in comparison with other developing countries. The empirical results for all variables are consistent with the existing hypotheses and are significant. The decision of women to join labour force are not only dependent upon their personal choice and achievement but also on their husband's and father's education, their attitude towards female employment and also on family characteristics which include the profession of respondent's father, mother or husband's profession. There is an ardent need to bring some significant changes in the social values of the family and society's attitudes to enhance women's participation in labour force through quality education. Government should develop policies that become the cause to encourage participation of educated women in the labour force of the country for multidimensional solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overt and covert form of purdah culture has a reflective connection between the public policy and women's way of life in Pakistan. The underpinnings of the gender and nexus of purdah culture very intricately evolve in the formulation of the public policy. Reflections on the state of affairs in the country regarding initiatives about improving women status inform gender biases in development plans, lack of political will, lack of resource allocation, lack of legal instruments, ineffective judicial system, policies without crosscutting integration of gender and lack of commitment, implementation and accountability which does not bring the required results. This paper is an attempt to explore the interplay of purdah shaping women lives and cobweb of patriarchal values predetermining the social and cultural value of gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a critical analysis of why the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) fails to protect women's right to education in Pakistan. The author argues that the root of the failure could be attributed to fundamentalist religious traditions while it is worsened by poor governance and a lack of enforcement domestically and internationally. In order to explore the failure, the education rights of Pakistani women before and after accession to CEDAW is evaluated.

The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic validity of two measures, the Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale (AKUADS) and the How I Feel scale, for assessing anxiety and depression among pregnant women in Pakistan. The sample included 200 pregnant women in Hyderabad, Pakistan. Using psychiatrist-administered Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fourth edition (DSM-IV) criteria, 71 (36%) of the women were diagnosed with depression or anxiety or both. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses indicated that the two scales had similar levels of discrimination. This study represents an important initial step in developing measures to assess the psychological well-being of Pakistani pregnant women. Additional research is needed, however, to improve the sensitivity and specificity of these scales by removing items that do not function well in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the relevance of the 1995 Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) to women workers in Pakistan. ATC removed the textile import quota that makes the industry more open to the global market. The termination of the quota leads to low prices and high demand of products from the international industries challenge Pakistani producers. But the greater effects will be on female workers, which consist 30 percent of the workforce, which will have lesser option for a better employment. This will intensify gender-based wage discrimination and calls for an upgrade on labor standards. The author suggests that in answer to the problem of alternative works or employment for women, policies should be made to assist training opportunities and information for them.

In this paper, taken from a presentation given to the Women In Development Europe (WIDE) Conference 2005, I consider the situation in Pakistan, within the general context of South Asia as a whole, and focus on the questions that confront feminists today. These questions, I believe, may be relevant to women activists not only in the South but also elsewhere. I discuss the activities of feminists who are engaging in advocacy for gender equality in Pakistan. This is an uphill task, but it has nevertheless resulted in some achievements. Not least of these is Pakistani women’s success in bringing women’s rights to the attention of both policy makers and the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The engendering of Muslim civil society is raising profound questions regarding women's social roles and rights, resulting in conflicting images particularly concerning what constitutes women's rights, who is to define what these rights are, where responsibility lies for ensuring these rights, and the role states are playing in articulating and clarifying what is acceptable and unacceptable within a Muslim context. This article investigates Pakistan's response to having become a State Party to the United Nations' Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). It focuses on the debate now underway to define what constitutes discrimination against women, how the state might act to eliminate discrimination against women not only in the legal sense but also in the social sense, the roles being played by various groups within the women's movement to facilitate the process of adherence to CEDAW, as well as other challenges being faced as the Pakistan state attempts to eliminate discrimination against women. This underscores the challenge of transforming prevailing Islamic interpretations of women's legal rights into ones acceptable to local mores and values while adhering to the requirements of CEDAW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence against women has become a grave sociopolitical and legal problem in Pakistan. The severity of the issue requires a joint effort from key stakeholders such as civil society, social science researchers, and policymakers to ensure laws and their implementation. Many women are killed, stone to death, married to an older guy, or even murdered due to defaming the family name, i.e., 'honor.' Fisk (2010) calls these brutal acts 'crimes against women.' This paper investigates various forms of gender-based violence and how the violence becomes a tool to disempower women and ostracize them in society. The paper's central object and argument are to theorize the victim's narrative and experience of violence and reveal the various forms of crime frequently reported in Pakistan's newspapers. Secondly, the paper aims to conceptualize the existing discourse and discursive practices of gender discrimination and violence against women and girls. Based on in-depth informal interviews through purposive sampling, the analysis takes the moral, political position. It concludes that society's patriarchal structure is a significant determinant that aids in distorting the humanistic fabric of society. Therefore, the empowerment of women through policy and practice, education and economic opportunities, and legal and political support by the state and civil society is essential to stop gender-based violence in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Population & Development Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article reports on the future of women in Pakistan, under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto. It suggests that when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Prime Minister and founder of the Pakistan's People's Party (PPP) was overthrown by General Zia ul-Haq in a military coup d'etat, social confusion and antagonism in the place of women in a society reigned. It notes that after the August 1988 plane crash, in which Zia ul-Haq and a number of high-ranking generals died, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan invited Benazir Bhutto to become prime minister. It discusses the PPP's manifesto, under Bhutto, which outlines several reforms for the empowerment of the people, including provisions for securing human rights, employment, political participation, and to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.

This article focuses on a parent education project in Pakistan. Pakistan was established in August, 1947, as a prototype of an Islamic theocracy. The country is made up of the extreme eastern and western parts of India and includes the two areas of the subcontinent with substantial Muslim majorities. Thus the country is composed of two halves over one thousand miles apart with India in between. The position of women in Islam has generally been one of inferiority. The veiling of women, referred to as purdah, has been a traditional part of Muslim culture. There are only two other areas in which purdah more strictly observed than in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. Where it is necessary at the graduate level in the universities to have coeducation, in the parts of the country where purdah is most strictly observed a curtain separates the male and female mothers of the class. An average of ten mothers attended each session. In discussing feeding, the self-demand principle was taken for granted. Strong emphasis was placed on what foods are necessary for health.

The purdah system, which limits a woman's mobility outside her home, may be an extreme example of highly segregated systems of sex role allocation, but shows many fundamental features in common with other societies. Purdah is an important institution among Muslims in Pakistan and India, but has not been well studied, partly because secluded women are inaccessible to male researchers. The purdah system is related to status, the division of labor, interpersonal dependency, social distance and the maintenance of moral standards; the two conceptual formulations used to analyze the system with reference to these factors are "separate worlds" and "symbolic shelter." In the present paper, special emphasis is placed on the influence of purdah observance and values on women's participation in modern occupations. Medicine and teaching are found to be the most important high prestige occupations for educated women because of the special needs of a female clientele in a sex-segregated system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author comments on the human rights accorded to Muslim women. The central focus of the article is on the rights allowed by the constitution of Pakistan. The document is of a contradictory nature, according to the author. While discrimination against women is forbidden by a section of the constitution, other provisions negate equal rights for women. It is noted that the Pakistani parliament has addressed issues related to a woman's safety in the workplace and against violence directed at women.

Gender inequality is common in Pakistan, reflecting the patriarchal nature of the society in which men dominate. This way of thinking permeates every domain, from the family to the community and the broader public sphere. Discrimination against women starts from the moment of their birth. Gender-based violence is a major human right problem and cases of honour killing are reported repeatedly in Pakistani media. Girls and women are seen to excessively bear the brunt of the cruel, barbaric, unjust and usually inhuman verdicts of Panchayats and Jirgas. One of the most hazardous practices of Panchayats and Jirgas is true in the case of "Honour Killings". Honour killing the characteristics of the Jirga/Panchayat is a stigma on the forehead of Pakistan. Most of the decisions of local Jirga/Panchayat are backed in the name of religion. The main argument for this study is that the honour killing is the precursor of traditional jirga and panchayat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reprint of a letter to the editor from the December 1, 2011, issue of "Dawn" is presented, in which the author discusses discrimination against women in Pakistan and efforts that can be taken to lessen such discrimination.

Discusses gender discrimination against women in Pakistan. Causes; Importance of the 1995 World Conference on Women in addressing women's issues; Efforts of the Pakistani government to end discrimination.

A reprint of a letter to the editor from the November 24, 2011, issue of "Dawn" is presented, in which the author discusses discrimination against women in Pakistan and the need for the Pakistani government to pass women's rights legislation.

Focuses on criticism received by Pakistan regarding their traditional treatment of women. How the country has a history of discrimination against women; Criticism by the United Nations Population Fund executive director Nafis Sadik; Concern over sex inequality and the impact on reproductive health in women.

Examines levels of discrimination against women in Pakistan. Magnitude of the earnings gap between males and females; Component of the gender earnings gap that arises from pure discrimination; Existence of considerable wage discrimination against women.