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Despite being an agrarian economy, food insecurity is pervasive in Pakistan. This study examines the impact of multiple dimensions of household vulnerability and socio-economic resilience on food insecurity. The results of ordinary least squares and Logistic regression based on data from Pakistan Standard and Living Measurement Survey (2018–2019) and Food Insecurity Experience Scale showed that vulnerabilities like age and employment dependency, household size, and gender composition play a significant role in food insecurity. The key policy interventions that can prevent households from experiencing food insecurity would be investments in human capital, empowering women, and reduction in rural–urban disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores Pakistan's deeply ingrained heteropatriarchal ideologies through the "Doosra Janum" (Second Incarnation) title track from Churails, using multimodal critical discourse analysis, performativity, and postcolonial feminist theory. Amidst the web series' burgeoning role in blending entertainment with social critique in Pakistan, the study illuminates the power of cinematic techniques in forging new narratives around gender and cultural identities that champion female empowerment. Our analysis underscores the pivotal role of these techniques in challenging and overturning patriarchal and gender norms, significantly enriching discussions on the capacity of visual media to address critical social and gender-related concerns in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries like Pakistan, the preservation of the environment, as well as people's economies, agriculture, and way of life, are believed to be hampered by climate change. Understanding how people perceive climate change and its signs is essential for creating a variety of adaptation solutions. In this study, we aim to bridge the gap in current research within this area, which predominantly relies on satellite data, by integrating qualitative assessments of people's perceptions of climate change, thereby providing valuable ground-based observations of climate variability and its impacts on local communities. Field-based data were collected at different altitudes (upstream (US), midstream (MS), and downstream (DS)) of the Upper Indus Basin using both quantitative and qualitative assessments in 2017. The result shows that these altitudes are highly variable in many contexts: socioeconomic indicators of education, agriculture, income, women empowerment, health, access to basic resources, and livelihood diversifications are highly variable in the Indus Basin. The inhabitants of the Indus Basin perceive the climate changing around them and report impacts of this change as increase in overall temperatures (US 96.9%, MS 97%, DS 93.6%) and erratic rainfall patterns (US 44.1%, MS 73.3%, DS 51.0%) resulting in increased water availability for crops (US 38.6%, MS 39.7%, DS 54.8%) but also increasing number of dry days (US 56.7%, MS 85.5%, DS 67.1%). Communities at these altitudes said that agriculture was their primary source of income, making them particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and the dangers that go along with it. The insights are useful for determining what information and actions are required to support local climate-related hazard management in subtropical climate regions. Moreover, it is vital to launch a campaign to raise awareness of potential hazards, as well as to provide training and an early warning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender disparities have been a challenging issue in achieving SDG 5 for Pakistan. This research study is an attempt to explicitly reveal and conceal the understanding of gender disparities and women's empowerment in Pakistan. This analyses gender disparities in Pakistan, focusing on the challenges, progress, and policy implications for achieving SDG 5. This qualitative interpretative research study uses exploratory and descriptive research techniques and implies the theoretical frameworks of feminist theory, intersectionality, and social capital theory. This highlights key challenges, including cultural norms, barriers to education and economic empowerment, gender-based violence, and limited healthcare access. Pakistan has made progress in promoting gender equality despite multifaceted challenges. This study recommends addressing socio-cultural barriers, enhancing women's political participation, empowering women economically, promoting education for girls, enhancing healthcare services, and strengthening legal and policy frameworks to achieve SDG 5 in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to explore the relation between religion, economy, culture, and the political status of women in Makran. Makran, being a division of the Province of Balochistan located at the southwest of the province, is rich in intellect and history. The region is a conflictridden zone at present badly hit by the waves of Baloch insurgency. Even though the participation of women in the field of education is quite encouraging, yet they have a very meagre share in politics. Religious considerations, economic dependence on males and cultural values contribute to create problems for women to engage in political affairs. Appropriate literature is reviewed to identify the issues that act as stumbling blocks to prevent women of Makran from the exercise of their constitutional right to make their presence felt in legislation and policy making. The kind of purposive sampling is used by conducting a survey to collect data and analyze it to arrive at a workable solution of the challenges that women of the area face. However, the results of the study suggest that women of Makran have very poor performance in politics, since the entire division has only three representatives in assemblies. Women cannot make decisions independently in the presence of male dominance. Until females are economically independent their political autonomy remains an unachievable dream. Civil society, being an integral part of the triangle of the modern state needs to be vigilant in the propagation of gender equality. Policies like creation of women party caucuses and networks, more reserved seats in assemblies and affirmative actions will serve well to ensure proportional representation of women in the political process promoting democracy and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of study is to examine Senate of Pakistan's working concerning women's rights in Pakistan, with a particular emphasis on contribution of the Senate Committees during 2018-2021. Pakistan, since its inception, worked for women empowerment so the study provides a thorough analysis of the legislation. The study examines whether the Senate Committees effectively worked for championing gender-sensitive issues that advanced women's socio-economic and political involvement or not? The study conducted through analytical method of research by analyzing legislations, committee reports, and newspapers. The research concludes that Senate Committees had effectively worked for promoting gender equality and women's rights. The legislative dynamics and institutional mechanisms of Senate Committees also revealed its effectiveness for securing women's rights. Conversely, government faced obstacles in enacting laws; therefore, this study recommends that the policies and laws should be implemented firmly as well as steps should be taken for public awareness in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the interplay between social media, gender inequality, and women's empowerment, highlighting the significant influence of socio-cultural, economic, and other barriers. Utilizing a survey methodology, data were collected from 550 university students in Lahore, Pakistan, to gauge gender perceptions and experiences. The researchers employed a feminist theoretical framework to guide the analysis. The study aims to evaluate the role of e-journalism in raising awareness about gender inequality and women's empowerment among both men and women in Pakistan. Additionally, it seeks to identify the socio-cultural, political, economic, and technological barriers that contribute to gender inequality in the country. The findings reveal that e-journalism effectively disseminates awareness by showcasing successful stories of women. Nevertheless, political, technological, economic, and socio-cultural obstacles remain significant contributors to gender inequality in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide empirical evidence of the role of Social Entrepreneurship (SE) in bridging the Gender Gap. The unprecedented rise in the social and economic issues in developing countries, like Pakistan, has fostered efforts to achieve a new organizational model under SE to counter the said issues. SE is a new way of offering an innovative and creative solution to the problems of societies. In this paper, the authors have examined the role of SE in overcoming the GG in society, which is otherwise left unaddressed. A qualitative study is conducted by adopting the hermeneutic view of reality. The data is collected by conducting a semi-structured interview with social entrepreneurs working in Pakistan. For validating the findings, the secondary source of data is collected from the published reports by the British Council consulting on the role of SE in Pakistan. Findings revealed that SE is contributing to reducing the GG in Pakistan through increased women empowerment and employment. It is helping to create more opportunities for women in the field and overcoming the social issues of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to investigate the intricate relationship between gender inequality and limited access to fundamental agricultural resources such as land, seeds, fertilizer, credit, technology, and training, along with the ultimate impact on rural women's empowerment. Gender disparities in access to the agricultural modes of production are recognizing as an essential impediment to rural women's empowerment in Pakistan. The cross-sectional survey was conducted in research. A multistage sampling technique was used to take the sample from this study. The total sample size was 180 respondents. Data was collected through an Interview schedule by using a questionnaire. The statistical tool for social sciences, SPSS, was used to analyze the data. The data indicate that more than half women in the Gujranwala district of Pakistan do not have access to agricultural modes of production. Policy interventions should be prioritized by giving women fair access to land, seed, fertilizer, financing, technology, and training, as well as fighting against discriminatory practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the pivotal role of educated mothers in the socio-psychological development of children in Malakand Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Emphasizing the multifaceted impact of maternal education on decision-making, family well-being, and children's needs, the study addresses a specific gap in understanding within this unique context. The study employed a cross-sectional research design, selecting 700 participants across seven districts with the help of a stratified random sampling technique. The research utilizes both descriptive and inferential statistics with the assistance of SPSS version 20. Findings reveal a significant positive impact of maternal education on children's socio-psychological well-being, with additional exploration of gender dynamics. The study consistently supports a strong association between maternal education and positive child outcomes, reinforced by graphical representations and regression analyses. The comprehensive insights contribute to understanding the intricate connections between maternal education and children's development. Policy implications advocate for investment in women's education, awareness programs, and support systems for educated mothers. The integration of gender-balanced socialization principles into early childhood education curricula is recommended for long-term societal equity, aiming to empower women and foster positive outcomes for mothers and children in Malakand Division. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Pakistan, Television (TV) morning shows attained a lot of popularity among urban women over time due to the presentation of women centric content. This study has attempted to analyze the content of TV morning shows and assessed its linkage with women's empowerment (WE) by considering a case of Lahore – a metropolitan city of Pakistan. The study relied on qualitative information from 66 episodes of selected five leading morning shows and survey data of 260 urban women viewers of TV morning shows. Content analysis of morning shows revealed that around 38–77 % episodes (varying across TV morning shows) presented the content on WE, and 44–60 % episodes invited women celebrities to portray their success journey to influence the learning behaviour of women viewers. Surveyed women perceived that the learnings from TV morning shows, particularly from the success stories of celebrities, have been effective for influencing different aspects of their empowerment such as their mobility and participation in social networking, their awareness on financial matters, choice of career and participation in household level decision making. Econometric analysis also validated the positive relationship between TV morning shows and women empowerment. Based on findings, it can be concluded that TV morning shows mainly have positive influence on women's learning behaviour and informally sensitize them on different aspects of their empowerment. Based on findings, the study highlights that well-planned TV morning shows may trigger a change in the behaviour of the public on a larger scale to achieve national objectives on women's empowerment and gender equality. • TV morning shows present a significant content on women's empowerment in Pakistan. • These TV shows mainly have a positive influence on women's learning behaviour. • Women mainly learnt about their mobility, participation in social networking and financial matters. • It is concluded that TV shows can be used as a tool to empower urban women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notice of RepublicationThis article was republished on April 24, 2024, to address a file issue. An updated version of S1 File is provided with this notice. Please download this article again to view the correct version.Supporting informationS1 FileSurvey results.(XLSX) [Extracted from the article]