Search

Dowry is a very troubling issue these days, especially in South Asia. Its origin dates back to the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age. Its bad impacts are effective in Pakistani society too. This research paper revolves around the dowry system in Pakistan, its consequences, and legislative attempts made to curb this menace. In this paper, the history of dowry and its system prevailing in Pakistani society is evaluated. A Qualitative method of research is used to evaluate how dowry is practiced in rural and urban areas of Pakistan and how it is responsible for the death of hundreds of lives. The Dowry and Bridal Gifts (restriction) Act 1976 was enacted to empower women and tackle the atrocities of Dowry however has been amended in 2016. Enforcement of laws, mass awareness, education to the common man, and media campaigns against this social evil are the possible ways to uproot this malady. This article comprises of four sections: in the first section introduction to dowry and its historical background is articulated, in the second portion customs prevailing and its effects are elaborated. The third section is about the anti-dowry laws enacted in the state and their implementation. In the fourth section, the possible ways and precautions is to annihilate this evil from our society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines Shan Food ads through content and semiotic analysis in order to establish how far these ads are performing an immediate social purpose in Pakistani contexts. As one of the leading food brands in Pakistan, Shan Foods and their products are used not only in big cities but also in rural areas. It is one of those brands which seem to intersect the rigid class divide with their diverse socio-economic background. Being widely used in the urban and rural regions, the wide use and availability of Shan Foods products is further determined by its digital reach. We think it appropriate to blend the social and digital aspects of Shan Food ads by viewing them from what is termed as femvertising by Ramsha Zaidi which underscore the complex interlink between these advertisement and their explicit representation of gender and feminist consciousness in Pakistani culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct and indirect exposure to terrorist attacks can have a significant impact on major life decisions, including the choice of whether to have a child. This study aims to investigate how terrorist attacks affect fertility. By pooling data from three years of cross-sectional surveys conducted between 2010 and 2015 by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, our findings reveal a positive correlation between terrorist attacks and fertility among women of childbearing age in Pakistan. Specifically, the probability of giving birth two years following a terrorist attack in one's home district, all else equal, is 64 percent, compared to the probability of a woman not giving birth two years following a terrorist attack, which is 36 percent. Furthermore, our analysis demonstrates that persistent terrorist attacks, that is, domestic and non-suicide incidents, result in higher probabilities of giving birth during a particular year. Conversely, less common and more prominent terrorist attacks - transnational and suicide incidents - result in lower probabilities of giving birth during a particular year. Additionally, we find that women from above-averageincome households, those with higher education levels, older mothers, and those residing in rural areas are more likely to adjust their fertility upwards in response to terrorist attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender disparities among third-world nations are frequently seen when women's status is studied for research purposes. Hence, the relationship between jobs and equality is focused in the present study concerning the contemporary era. The accessibility of women to services and the extent of input to the households' cumulative family incomes are also significant for eliminating gender discrimination. The present study comprises five selected aspects to explore the multifacets of women empowerment. The study discussed that women are more likely to be motivated in mostly limited occupations and that a few of the empowerment measures appear to interrelate with these unique proficient characteristics. The research is intended to encourage discussion on improving women's empowerment by creating more professional markets that offer women new prospects, particularly in rural areas of Pakistan, that are often the most ignored parts in third-world countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the gendered component of vulnerability to climate change in Pakistan, a highly vulnerable country. Through interviews conducted in different provinces and regions, the research explores how gender influences climate change sensitivity, impacts on women, and the effectiveness of adaptation measures. The results show significant health disparities between men and women, with women suffering more from heatwaves, cold snaps, and droughts. Livestock sectors face challenges such as water and pasture scarcity, affecting rural women's livelihoods. In agriculture, women encounter economic hardships, limited resources, and social barriers, amplifying climate change's adverse effects on their livelihoods. Food and water scarcity pose critical concerns, leading to malnutrition and health risks for women. In rural areas, energy crises force women to rely on harmful fuel sources, impacting their respiratory health, while urban settings restrict women's access to essential services. The study emphasizes the need for gender-responsive policies and women's participation in climate decision-making processes to build resilient communities. Policy implications include adaptation measures, women's inclusion, investment in rural livelihood support, disaster management, and promoting gender equality in climate governance. Raising awareness and education about climate change's gendered impacts is crucial for fostering resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the relationship between women's education and their everyday mobility in the rural areas of Punjab, Pakistan. Based on an ethnographic case study from a village in Southern Punjab, information from semi-structured interviews and observations is used to demonstrate an enhanced access to education has altered women's everyday mobility trends. However, questions regarding women's empowerment remain unresolved. Although some rural women have always been engaged in agricultural activities, there have been limitations on their mobility due to cultural sensitivities. I conclude the nature of social and socio-spatial relationships is being negotiated in some cultural contexts of rural Punjab through the changing facets of women's mobility associated with modern education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women being the most disadvantaged section of Pakistani society require special attention in regard with political empowerment to play their due role in overall development of the country. This becomes more important when we talk about political status of women in Sindh. Being one of the area where cultural and social conservativeness remains highly rooted in the society, women in rural areas of Sindh are unable to find space in political activity in elections. Though, there are some exceptions but largely women in Sindh struggle a lot in cashing-in their political power by exercising constitutional basic right. This needs to be addressed by the state governing bodies so that women in Sindh can play their due political role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the rural areas of Pakistan, women have limited access to credit, property, education, skill, paid job and land. There are many hindrances in women empowerment in the rural areas such as socio-economic and cultural values, norms, and patriarchal structure of society etc. In this context, this research was planned to analyze different determinants of empowerment of rural women for poverty reduction in agrarian communities by taking the case study of rural Faisalabad. Multistage random sampling technique was used for data collection at different stages. Two tehsils from district Faisalabad were selected through simple random sampling technique and four rural union councils and then eight villages were selected randomly. Twenty five (25) from each village were selected through convenient sampling technique thereby making total sample size of 200 women. Most important finding of the study is that the households where women have higher decision making authority are better-off and in other words women empowerment is likely to reduce poverty and increase household wellbeing. The results also revealed significantly positive relationship between women age, education, decision making authority and paid work involvement with empowerment and poverty reduction. It is also concluded that education is the most important factor in empowerment but majority (64.5%) of respondents had only up to 5 year education. In the study area most respondents had very limited decision making authority and control over economic resources mostly significant and important decisions and resources are controlled by the male members. Similarly majority of the respondents (65%) said that decisions regarding family size were taken by both husband and wife. Freedom of mobility is one of the pillars of empowerment and helpful in poverty reduction but the results showed that very small percentage of respondents had full freedom of mobility to go outside the house and more than 80% of the respondents needed permission from their family to go to the local market. Though rural women have great contribution in poverty reduction but majority of them were facing the problems of low education, wages, less control over resources, freedom of mobility and lack of decision making authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The empirical evidence provides understanding of women's empowerment dimensions that stimulate their food security. • The dimensions of ICTS, social support, familial empowerment and legal rights provide significant results with women's own food insecurity. • The meager infrastructural facilities create less economic opportunities for women which hinder their food security by making them less self-independent. • Lack of sense of land entitlement may also substantially limit women's bargaining power and hamper their access to basic rights even food. A rich body of literature exists for explaining the role women play in ensuring their household's food security; however, as far as their own food security is concerned, little attention has been given. Therefore, this research collects evidence on the relationship between women's empowerment and their own food security (access) in the rural areas of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK). Data were collected from the households of 600 rural women. The results provide insights that the domains of legal rights, information and communication technologies (ICTs), social support and familial rights, can be a significant pathway for enhancing the food security of women as more bargaining power of women over the utilization of resources could result in a good quality of food choices and more expense on food items due to these rights. Besides, understanding food insecurity also requires considering gender norms as in this study, the infrastructural facilities and sense of land entitlement provide unexpected non-significant results. Though women help in the mounting necessities of their families, they are unable to enhance the food requirements for themselves due to restricted mobility and less economic opportunities. This is mainly due to the poor infrastructure, and more importantly, the lack of access to resources, especially land, because of lack of knowledge and self-confidence. Notably, the fear of conflict and domestic violence may also impede women from fighting for their rights, which results in poor access to food. Hence, by understanding the household makeup from women's perspectives and customs, the findings from this study can help and guide policymakers in developing more appropriate strategies to improve the food security of women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]