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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]

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]

Objectives: Psychological distress in pregnancy is associated with adverse postnatal outcomes. We aimed to identify how social support and women's empowerment are associated with pregnancy-specific daily experiences among women suffering antenatal anxiety in Pakistan. Methods: Data were collected as part of a randomized controlled trial of a psychosocial intervention for antenatal anxiety in a tertiary hospital in Pakistan. We included 594 women in early pregnancy (≤ 22 weeks) who endorsed mild to severe anxiety symptoms. Generalized linear regression models were used to analyze the associations of perceived social support and women's empowerment in relation to pregnancy-specific daily hassles and uplifts using a culturally adapted and psychometrically validated version of the Pregnancy Experience Scale-Brief. Results: High social support was positively associated with frequency and intensity of positive pregnancy-specific experiences (B = 0.39, 95% CI 0.23–0.54 uplifts frequency; and B = 0.17, 95% CI 0.12–0.22 uplifts intensity), and was inversely associated with frequency of negative pregnancy-specific experiences (B = − 0.44, 95% CI − 0.66, − 0.22). Women's household empowerment was associated with greater uplifts frequency and intensity (B = 0.55, 95% CI 0.20–0.90 frequency; and B = 0.28, 95% CI 0.17–0.40 intensity). High social support and household empowerment were inversely related to PES hassle-to-uplift ratio scores. Conclusions for Practice: Greater social support and household empowerment were associated with positive pregnancy-specific experiences in the context of antenatal anxiety in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Pakistan is 29%, which is likely an underestimate. This study used mixed models to examine the effects of women empowerment, women and husband's education, number of adult women in a household, number of children 5 or under in a household, and place of residence on physical violence and controlling behavior, controlling for women's current age and wealth status. Nationally representative data collected from 3,545 currently married women in the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (2012–2013) was used for the current study. Mixed models were estimated separately for physical violence and controlling behavior. Logistic regression was also used to conduct additional analyses. Results indicated that women and their husband's education, and number of adult women in a household were associated with a decrease in physical violence, whereas women's empowerment, and women and their husband's education were associated with a decrease in controlling behavior. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfinance has generally been linked to women's economic empowerment. Research findings on empowerment thesis are mixed and vary in their conclusions. This study looks at the relationship between various forms of rural financing and gendered social exchanges, with a particular focus on women. Despite the associated risks, women often experience emotional benefits from their involvement in rural financing. Women in Pakistan are closely involved in major life events like childbirth, marriage, and death. To meet the needs in these situations, they obtain funds through microfinance and rotating savings and credit associations. This article endeavors to examine the influence of rural financing on women's empowerment through the lens of feminist frameworks. Descriptive ethnography was employed as a research design and data was gathered through conducting interviews with the 50 borrowers in Nara Mughlan village of District Chakwal. Findings showed that only a few women were able to employ the money by managing small-scale businesses like sewing and stitching, grocery stores, poultry and livestock management. However, they make various psychological and emotional gains by giving up their turn to other women in case of rotating savings and credit associations and proxy lending in microfinance. This perceived risk is not seen as a loss, as it brings happiness and fulfilment through social exchange. [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]

There exists comprehensive literature on women's empowerment; however, studies on the measurement of empowerment in the agricultural context are scarce, particularly in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Pakistan. In this paper, we used the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), which includes five domains, i.e. resources, production, income, leadership, and time, to measure women's empowerment in the agriculture sector. A survey of 600 rural women and 18 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted by using multi-stage sampling. The results show that about 72% of the women are disempowered, and attribute to low socio-economic conditions, i.e. they have limited access to resources and little leadership skills as rural women in AJK are not free to speak in public. The results further reveal that women are also disempowered in some other indicators, such as autonomy in production, income, and leisure time. So, based on the current findings, it is proposed that government should strengthen these areas through effective policies to improve the status of women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intersection of work with access to and use of digital technologies and the resulting impact on women's empowerment. Drawing on detailed in-depth interviews across Pakistan with low-literate, low-income women employed in three categories of work – domestic, factory, and home-based – we map how women's work intersects with their access to digital technologies to affect their economic and social lives. Our paper highlights the barriers that women face and explores whether and how in a patriarchal, religious context with restricted physical mobility and limited access to the internet, women circumnavigate their constraints by leveraging digital technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's empowerment is considered to play a crucial role in food and nutrition security. We aimed to explore the relationship between women's empowerment and food and nutrition security, in rural Pakistan. Methods: To estimate women's empowerment, we developed a Rural Women Composite Empowerment Index incorporating nine domains. For indicators of food and nutritional data we used data of 1879 rural households from Pakistan Rural Household Panel Survey (PRHPS). Food insecurity was measured through a caloric intake approach; nutrition insecurity was measured through recommended nutrient intake (RNI). Using the Rural Women's Composite Empowerment Index (RWCEI), we employed multi-level mixed-effect regression analysis. Results: The domains of traveling safely (21%), time allocated to tasks (20%), and (lack of) domestic violence (19%) were the most significant domains in defining empowerment of rural woman. The prevalence of food and nutrition insecurity were 33% and 50% respectively. Regression analysis found a positive and significant relationship between women's empowerment and food and nutrition security–the proportion of household who were food and nutritionally secure in empowered households was 70% and 98% respectively. Conclusions: Developing programmes and policies to improve the range of domains of women's empowerment requires a focussed policy agenda, bringing together policy makers from a number of different sectors including education, economy, communications, technology and agriculture. Women's empowerment has the potential to make positive changes not only in food and nutrition security, but in all aspects of family health and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays an immense role in reappraise and transform human life around the globe. In this digital era, not only men but women are also contributing potentially to the ICT field to end poverty, improve education, and a create decent job market. Hence, it is necessary to encourage women to pursue their careers in the ICT field for the development of the country. Consequently, it is mandatory to evaluate women's contributions to the ICT field. Thus, in this research, women's empowerment in the ICT field was analyzed based on women's designation, and qualification, a field of interest in all ICT institutes of Pakistan. For this purpose, data of women faculty of 124 ICT institutes of Pakistan was collected from online available resources of ICT institutes using web scraping technique. In total, the dataset was consisting of 1515 entries that were mined from different ICT institutes in Pakistan. The attributes included in this dataset were female names, designation, qualifications, area of Interest, department, university, and province. The paper is presenting the first step for performing the gender-based bibliometric analysis. This study is quite beneficial for evaluating Pakistani women's performance in ICT by analyzing their qualifications, designation, and department. It is concluded that most women faculty work in the Computer Science i.e., sub-field of ICT, and women are more interested in Data Science, Image processing, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning research areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empowering women living in the rural economies of the developing world is important to reduce the vulnerability of agricultural households to food insecurity. Despite the existing literature on food insecurity, only a few studies have investigated household vulnerability to food insecurity - important for devising policies and strategies to eradicate food insecurity. This study aims to evaluate the impact of rural women’s empowerment in reducing household’s vulnerability to food insecurity using a household vulnerability to food insecurity index (HVFII) and a rural women composite empowerment index (RWCEI) which has multiple domains. Data from the Pakistan rural household panel survey data of 1868 farming households was analysed using a multi-level mixed effects ordered logistic approach. Descriptive statistics indicate that 33% and 14% of households face severe to mild vulnerability to food insecurity respectively. Of all the domains, rural women are particularly disempowered in economic autonomy and education. Multi-level modelling demonstrated that women’s empowerment overall has positive and significant impact in mitigating the risks related to household food insecurity. Other factors included age of the head of household, and accessing a safety net program, and community infrastructure. The study suggests that those responsible for mitigating household vulnerability to food insecurity in rural Pakistan should specifically focus on empowering women, particularly helping them to be economically autonomous, and providing more information on health and food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic growth and prosperity of states depend upon women's contribution to the economy since women form half of the world's population. Ownership and best utilization of (non)financial resources lead to the emancipation of women through successful economic empowerment. Lack of facilitation in terms of availing the resources leads to redundancy of women empowerment programs. However, microfinance programs by financial institutions act as a key strategy in empowering women hence, addressing the economic growth and development. The relationship of microfinance and women empowerment is not linear, rather many economic, social, psychological and political factors affect it. This study tries to investigate the relationship of microfinance with women empowerment, with the moderation role of household support and entrepreneurship in district of Jhelum, Pakistan. A quantitative approach was used to measure and interpret the results of the study. Primary data was collected from 315 respondents through self-administrated questionnaire, analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) using SMART PLS. The findings of the study support the hypothesized positive relationship of availability of microfinance and women empowerment. The results also provided evidence of the moderation effect of household support and entrepreneurship. The results of the study can aid in policy development by the government, policymakers, NGOs, and microfinance institutions in Pakistan. [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]

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a significant and inaugural project of the "Belt and Road" initiative which is considered as structure and manifesto for panoramic and fundamental collaboration between China and Pakistan. The CPEC project was initiated to develop economic growth and facilitate free trade between both countries. However, it has generated immense employment opportunities, education facilities, and improved quality of life for local citizens, specifically women, as well as international overreach. This study investigates and examines the benefits of CPEC project and its influence on women empowerment. Based on the background of the CPEC, this study has been carried out by applying a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods to fill the gap. Data was aggregated with the help of a survey questionnaire and interviews from the residents of the Thar region of Pakistan, which comes under CPEC route. In total, 306 samples were acquired and analysed using different statistical tools such as SPSS (Statistical package for social sciences) and PLS (Partial least squares) to formulate the study results. The findings revealed that the development of CPEC has remarkably improved the quality of life for women by providing enormous employment opportunities, education facilities, skills enhancement programs, and training facilities. The analyzed results will guide government policymakers and officials to promote operational activities in the region, develop new educational institutions, and create employment opportunities for the local community and women to obtain further development of CPEC projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Quality antenatal care is a window of opportunity for improving maternal and neonatal outcomes. Numerous studies have shown a positive effect of women empowerment on improved coverage of maternal and reproductive health services, including antenatal care (ANC). However, there is scarce evidence on the association between women's empowerment and improved ANC services both in terms of coverage and quality. Addressing this gap, this paper examines the relationship between multi-dimensional measures of women empowerment on utilization of quality ANC (service coverage and consultation) in Pakistan. Methods: We used Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18 (PDHS) data which comprises of 6,602 currently married women aged between 15–49 years who had a live birth in the past five years preceding the survey. Our exposure variables were three-dimensional measures of women empowerment (social independence, decision making, and attitude towards domestic violence), and our outcome variables were quality of antenatal coverage [i.e. a composite binary measure based on skilled ANC (trained professional), timeliness (1st ANC visit during first trimester), sufficiency of ANC visits (4 or more)] and quality of ANC consultation (i.e. receiving at least 7 or more essential antenatal components out of 8). Data were analysed in Stata 16.0 software. Descriptive statistics were used to describe sample characteristics and binary logistic regression was employed to assess the association between empowerment and quality of antenatal care. Results: We found that 41.4% of the women received quality ANC coverage and 30.6% received quality ANC consultations during pregnancy. After controlling for a number of socio-economic and demographic factors, all three measures of women's empowerment independently showed a positive relationship with both outcomes. Women with high autonomy (i.e. strongly opposed the notion of violence) in the domain of attitude to violence are 1.66 (95% CI 1.30–2.10) and 1.45 (95% CI 1.19–1.75) and times more likely to receive antenatal coverage and quality ANC consultations respectively, compared with women who ranked low on attitude to violence. Women who enjoy high social independence had 1.87 (95% CI 1.44–2.43) and 2.78 (95% CI 2.04–3.79) higher odds of quality antenatal coverage and consultations respectively, as compared with their counterparts. Similarly, women who had high autonomy in household decision making 1.98 (95% CI 1.60–2.44) and 1.56 (95% CI 2.17–1.91) were more likely to receive quality antenatal coverage and consultation respectively, as compared to women who possess low autonomy in household decision making. Conclusion: The quality of ANC coverage and consultation with service provider is considerably low in Pakistan. Women's empowerment related to social independence, gendered beliefs about violence, and decision-making have an independent positive association with the utilisation of quality antenatal care. Thus, efforts directed towards empowering women could be an effective strategy to improve utilisation of quality antenatal care in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degraded urban environments disproportionately affect marginalized populations, and especially impoverished women in South Asia's informal settlements, where climate change vulnerabilities and gender inequalities are extreme. A comparative analysis was conducted of three neighboring countries, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, where urban environments, climate risks, and gender relations exhibit significant variances. With original survey data from 12 informal settlements across New Delhi, Dhaka, Islamabad, and Lahore, it was found that women are less empowered than men in all three countries, but their determinants related to environmental degradation and climate change vary. Qualitative data from key informants reveals several explanatory mechanisms of observed differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to examine the women empowerment in rural areas of Punjab, Pakistan. The current paper contributes to the literature by presenting the empirical evidence of women empowerment in agriculture. Women empowerment in agriculture index (WEAI) was used for measuring women empowerment of the 300 rural households. Primary data were collected from three (3) districts of the Punjab province. The quantitative data analyzed by using appropriate statistical techniques. The results of the study showed disempowerment of women in agriculture with varying degree in all three selected regions of Punjab. The WEAI results for the Central Punjab (Jhang) is 0.034. It is the average weighted score of the five empowerment domains (5DE) value of sub-index is 0.689 and the Gender parity index (GPI) sub-index value of 0.686. Results for South Punjab (D.G.Khan) is 0.578. The weighted score of the sub-index value of 5DE is 0.498 and the sub-index value of GPI is 0.782, and for North Punjab (Chakwal) is 0.784 and the average weighted score of the sub-index value of 5DE is 0.745 and the sub-index value of GPI is 0.598. The empowerment gap between men and women in the same household is relatively momentous at 26.9 and 36.9% in Central and South Punjab but less significant in North Punjab at 53.8%. A strong correlation between age of the household, education and empowerment was found. Lack of control over income and lack of control over resources are found as the domains that contribute most to women disempowerment. Lack of leadership in community and lack of availability of time domains that contribute most to men disempowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is the large-scale public sector program in Pakistan that targets the poor women by providing unconditional cash transfers. In this paper, we have analyzed the impact of BISP's cash transfers on women's empowerment after two, five, and eight years of intervention. Women's empowerment is defined by four dimensions including women's mobility, decision-making, political voice, and spousal violence. The impact is measured by using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design for cross-sectional data and a difference-in-difference approach for panel data. The results reveal that after two years of intervention, there was no significant impact on women's empowerment; however, after 5 and 8 years, there was a substantial impact, especially on women's mobility, their involvement in decision-making, and voting behavior. The biometric payment also helped women to go outside home and control on cash herself. Despite the positive impact on women's mobility and political voice, a mild impact is found on women's bargaining power and gender norms i.e., involving women in decision-making by their husbands and violence against women. [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 study attempts to explore how the lockdown/containment measures taken by the government during the COVID‐19 pandemic have threatened educated Muslim women's negotiated identity regarding wifehood and motherhood in urban Pakistan and how they struggle to reposition to reconstruct it. Through semi‐structured interviews, making an in‐depth comparative study of three differently situated cases (Muslim women), this study argues that the abnormal situation that has ensued from the pandemic has reinforced the vulnerability of women's nascent negotiated identity by landing them in a space where they are supposed by the normative structures to step back to carrying out their traditional responsibilities as 'good' wife and mother during the crisis. It has found that the pandemic has similarity in its impacts for the women in their familial lives, despite their being variously situated and resistive, due to the general religio‐culturally defined patriarchal social behaviour of the place (Pakistan) toward women and lack of action on the part of the state for implementing its laws of women's empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research comprehensively examined the contributions of households' critical influence factors (CRIFs) in BGT utilization. The data based on a sample of 695 households from seven selected districts of Punjab province of Pakistan. The empirical findings are: first, among the households' preference based CRIFs, cooking as a utilization mode imparted positive and significant influence on BGT utilization. It implicated that cooking was found to be the dominant preference of households to utilize the BGT. Moreover, the health risk factor was exposed to be important in BGT utilization. This is likely for people to attach importance to their health. Second, dual nature of the influence of gender is observed: (i) it emphasized the role of woman empowerment in choice of BGT, and also, (ii) as the females need to spend extra time in fuel collection, they want to switch to BGT. Third, concerning the socio-economic and infrastructural influence factors, the education of both household head and chef portrayed a positive influence on BGT utilization. Moreover, households with relatively more land ownership and livestock were more probable to utilize BGT. Finally, the users of the BGT experienced the financial, health, environmental protection, and crop harvest benefits as compared to non-users of BGT. • Examined households-based critical influence factors of biogas generation technology (BGT) utilization. • A propensity score matching technique has been adopted for influence assessment. • Found significant positive contributions of households' preference-based influence factors. • Identified contributions of socioeconomic and infrastructural influence factors. • Cooking as a utilization mode and health risk factor exposed positive impact on BGT utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty is multidimensional and presents a great threat to achieving the targets of the "Sustainable Development Goals" (SDGs) across the world. This study makes contribution to the ongoing debate regarding capability, social exclusion, and participatory approaches as measuring strategies for farm poverty. This study was designed to develop a new methodological framework to measure multidimensional poverty that builds on the previous index for measuring three dimensions of poverty at the micro level, and a method to calculate the extent of poverty by using the Alkire and Foster model. The expanded dimensions of multidimensional poverty identified are wealth status, participation/empowerment, environment, health, education, and standard of living. We apply the methodology to a study in northern Pakistan. The index of multidimensional poverty demonstrates that alongside the other dimensions there is severe poverty in terms of environment, empowerment/ participation, and wealth dimensions. The measure of intensity of the poverty shows that 55% of the population was severely poor while the MPI value demonstrated that 54% of the population was severely poor. The regional and resource-related causes contributing to this poverty include isolation and remoteness of the area, low infrastructure, and poor access to markets and to social and communal services. The study suggests that multi-sectorial interventions and investment in terms of education, infrastructure, environment, financial services and agriculture development are necessary to overcome the situation and improve the likelihood of achieving the targets of the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since early years of the 20th century, feminism has built a body of theory and in recent decades' women empowerment has been suggested as a mechanism to improve the quality of women's work as well as their personal lives. The empowerment of women is an essential precondition for the elimination of world poverty and the upholding of human rights. Women are about half of the population of Pakistan, they are active participants in every walk of life. But women participation as extension workers was discouraged in agriculture sector, extension wing due to field work nature of this job as it was considered as male oriented job only. Later on, during the last years of the first decade of this century the hiring of female extension workers by the Department of Agriculture (Extension and Adaptive Research) Government of the Punjab, Pakistan become a possibility. The study was conducted at Institute of Agri. Extension and Rural Development, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan during 2018-19. All the female agriculture officials working in agriculture extension, livestock and poultry sectors were the population of the study. In first step through proportionate stratified sampling technique 49 respondents from agriculture extension, 64 from livestock and 17 respondents from poultry sector were taken forming a sample size of 130 respondents. In second step, the respondents were randomly selected from each stratum. The data were collected from selected respondents through pretested interview schedule. The quantitative data and qualitative data were analyzed, and the data revealed that most of the respondents belonged to middle age group having master's degree and 1-3-year experience, half of the respondents were married with non-farming background. The major social constraints faced by the respondents in the field were identified as: male dominance, non-acceptance (unrecognition) as working lady, family responsibilities and harassment issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake that struck Pakistan-administered Kashmir an unprecedented number of development actors arrived in the region. Their impact influenced men's perceptions of change in the gendered division of labour, as they claimed this arrival had increased women's access to work in public spaces. Across urban and rural bazaars, a wide spectrum of male voices used this perceived increase to either try to further enhance women's access or to curtail it. The struggle for women's access to work in public spaces was visible in the stories these men told publicly. Although it pre-dated the earthquake, its aftermath made it more visible. Men's narratives around women's access to work post-earthquake also reflects a crisis of masculinity. The earthquake's aftermath gave an opportunity for some men to reinforce the region's classical patriarchy and others to challenge it; while doing so, men were also staking a claim at redefining what it meant to be a man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The women's movement in Pakistan strategically used the courts to fight for rights-based empowerment over the last 40 years. Its demand to hold the state and judiciary accountable for delivering on its constitutional promise of fundamental rights has led to landmark public interest litigation jurisprudence. This paper presents for the first time the movement's full history of litigation in its key areas of concern: sexual and reproductive rights, protection from discriminatory laws and informal justice mechanisms, socio-economic and environmental rights and political rights. Achievements include positive verdicts, sensitizing judges, progressive legislation and increased public awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which examined the effectiveness of a social protection program in Pakistan to control poverty and enhance women empowerment. Topics covered include the impact of the cash transfers on the intra-household decision-making of the women, the ways in which women are empowered after accepting the grant, and whether the program has achieved its goals.

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]

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]

This article presents a critical feminist political economy of women's entrepreneurship promotion in Pakistan. Women's entrepreneurship is the new development mantra that has captured the imagination of global institutions, policymakers, business organizations, and academia alike. We argue in this article that this focus on entrepreneurship should be located, on one hand, within the gendered political economy of Pakistan, and on the other hand, as part of the broader project of transnational business feminism, which works to frame gender equality as "smart economics" and as compatible with the neoliberal agenda of privatization, deregulation, and financialization. Drawing on primary research conducted on a women's entrepreneurship training program in Pakistan, this article goes on to evidence how one such program is designed and delivered and critically interrogates the impacts of this program on those it is supposed to empower. The findings of our research point to tensions between the global discourses that explicitly inform projects like the one we study and the implementation of programs in specific local contexts, troubling the assertion that there is a smooth equation between entrepreneurship, economic growth, and women's empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock is the main source of income mainly for small and nomadic families in rural areas. Rural people involve their child; especially female child for animal production and management. Women played a vital role in livestock production in each corner of the world. Present study was conducted to analyze the gender role for the sustainable production of livestock. This study was conducted in tehsil Gujar Khan, district Rawalpindi in 2014-15. The required data were collected using a validated and pre-tested interview schedule from 120 randomly selected respondents. The data were then analyzed with the help of computer software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The research indicated that role of women in livestock management was highly better than men on households level particularly in cleaning, milking, diseases management and fodder cutting. However, role of women was undermined associated with number of challenges including mobility and inadequate access to different information and training sources. Findings also indicated clear decision-making powers gap between men and women as men were superior in decision making. It is need of an hour to transit equal status to women and participation in decision-making for improved household management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The percentage of female population in our country is more than fifty percent, and the main cause of suppression against women is the joint family system in which the head of the family is the father of the husband instead of husband himself. Our society is dominated by men, and due to this a huge majority of the women in Pakistan are not able to take their own decisions, even to decide their own marriages. In this research paper we will look at the cultural barriers against women empowerment in our country. The sample data for this research paper has been taken from married women of District Jamshoro and the method used is purposive sampling. In this research we will explain the number of different factors for example environment of the family, family background, cultural norms, and approaches towards such norms, moderate attitude, and the dissatisfaction with the society. These factors have been the main causes of the dominance of the male in our society and culture. We also discuss the attitude towards women and subordinate treatment of the females in our society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender and Development is a central priority of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). International development agencies provide adequate financial support through development/humanitarian projects to achieve specific targets related to gender equality globally. Pakistan also aims to alleviate poverty and improve the status of women in society. In this context, the ‘Banzir Income Support Program’ (BISP) has launched various cash grant programs for the poorest families in Pakistan. Women are the direct beneficiaries, but the program also produces indirect beneficiaries including male family members. The program managers believe that reduction in poverty will indirectly improve women's position within families and they will gain financial and social empowerment. How does the BISP's support enable women to challenge traditional stereotypes toward their financial and social empowerment? And in which dimension does BISP's support bring change in gender relations within the family? These are the questions addressed in the current research. A mixed-methods approach is adopted to conduct this study – both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used to collect and analyze data, which was collected in two phases. Initially, secondary data is accessed from three tehsil offices of the Multan district. To follow up, in-depth interviews are conducted with two Assistant Directors of the BISP. The findings reveal that although the BISP support has significantly increased familial income, women appear only as indirect beneficiaries of the program. They pass on allocated funds to their male family members or nominate them as active business partners. In a few cases, women have started their own businesses. Several factors influence women's decisions while selecting business options under “individually-led” or “female-male” partnership models. Newly started enterprises have increased family income dramatically, although this does not alter the patriarchal division of labour within families nor does it empower women financially as well as socially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main objective of this research paper is to explore the men's perception regarding women empowerment in the economic field. The study was conducted in the rural area of district Dir lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, through measurement of variables as obstacle to women economic stability and empowerment i.e. attitude of male towards women economic stability, restriction on women to work, economic opportunities, cultural and religious constrains and attitude towards working women. The study summed up with uni-variate and bi-variate analysis. Main outcomes of the study are, Joint family pattern is very common in rural traditional society. People are less educated, low level of earning as compare to the economic necessities. Economic empowerment of women are not prevalent due to women exposures to various cultural practices in rural traditional society. Lack of economic opportunity, denial from inheritance right, dependency on male, disagreement of male on certain jobs with women and lack of suitable self-employment opportunities brought desolations to women. Economic empowerment of women are associated with lack of information from current jobs opening, dependencies of women on male while applying for a particular economic opportunity, attitude of male that women must take care of their like and dislike while seeking job are the major factors with contributes to women economic disempowerment significantly. [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]

Background: Child marriage (before 18 years) is widely prevalent in Pakistan, and disproportionately affects young girls in rural, low income and poorly-educated households. Our study aims to determine the association of child marriage and attitude towards wife beating among currently married Pakistani women aged 15-24 after controlling for social equity indicators (education, wealth index, rural residence). Methods: We limited the data from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2012-2013 to currently married women aged 15-24 years (n=2648). Five specified dichotomous variables indicating women's attitude towards wife beating (goes out without telling husband, neglects the children, argues with husband, refuses to have sex with husband, burns the food) were considered as outcome variables. The likelihood (OR and 95% CI) of each outcome variable for the child marriage group was estimated using logistic regression models. Results: The prevalence of child marriage was significantly higher among women having no education and Balochi ethnicity, living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region and rural area, and belonging to the poorest quintile of wealth index. Women married as children compared with women married as adults were more likely to justify wife beating for all five specified reasons. However, these associations were lost when social equity indicators and national region of residence were adjusted in the regression models. Conclusions: Highly prevalent child marriage practice among women can be minimized by promoting education and providing economic opportunities in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews feminist critiques, both on conceptual and empirical grounds, of the contention that microcredit empowers women. It also reviews other critiques of microcredit as being pushed by a neo-liberal agenda to extend the domain of the market or as a development panacea while not really representing authentic development. It makes a case for privileging women’s perception and voice and adds to the literature that does this using a case study from Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of education in Pakistani women's empowerment and self-determination. According to the author, the elements of women's empowerment include the ability to make decisions, access to resources, and free mobility. It is suggested that education offers women increased self-confidence and awareness of gender equity, as well as a better chance at financial independence. Other topics include Muslim identity and gender relations within families.

Pakistan. Studies on respiratory infections in Pakistan have largely been clinical or community based. There is almost no large scale population based study on the socio-economic and cultural aspects of ARI in Pakistan. We used data from Pakistan Demographic Health Survey 2005-06. Children under two years of age were our study sample (n=3135). Logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of factors on the incidence and treatment of ARI. Maternal education and ethnicity had significant impact on the incidence of ARI. The odds of ARI was substantially lower among children of mothers with secondary [OR 0.63, Cl 0.41-0.95, p value 0.03] and university level education [OR 0.64, Cl 0.36-1.16, p value 0.14] compared to children of mothers without any education. Sindhi, Siraiki and Balochi children had higher odds of incidence and treatment of ARI. Household wealth had no influence on the incidence of ARI. But poor children had lower odds of receiving treatment [OR 0.16, Cl 0.08-0,33, p value .001] than children from wealthier families. There is an urgent need for multi-pronged policies and programmes aimed at increasing access to and utilisation of modem education and health care services, betterment of economic conditions of the poor and social and economic empowerment of women to improve the health of children in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores Muslim women's experiences of empowerment in northern Pakistan by drawing upon the life history of a woman informant named Dana, it also outlines some of the methodological concerns related with researching empowerment in a situation where the researchers and the researched share common context. The paper re-conceptualizes the utility of empowerment by unveiling it as an intricate process, which involves the negotiation of roles, responsibilities and values by individuals. The findings evidence that empowerment is not always exhibiting absolute power over others or open defiance against standard norms; neither is it resistance against coercion at all times. Instead it is also about strategically acting in a way that makes women feel more secure within particular circumstances. Importantly, since the process of being empowered involves constant personal labor, pain of being denied respect and dignity it is not as glorious as depicted in the dominant development discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at analyzing public perceptions on political empowerment of women in Pakistan. According to the World Economic Forum index on gender gap regarding political empowerment, Pakistan is one of the lowest among South Asian countries despite the highest quota for women in parliament. The paper is first of its kind with an attempt to empirically evaluate people's perceptions on women's political empowerment in Pakistan and also to look at determinants of these perceptions. For this purpose, a questionnaire is formulated and Likert scale is used to compute a score on attitudes regarding women's political empowerment by both males and females. The data was collected from Rawalpindi district in Punjab province of Pakistan and total sample size is 231. The empirical analysis consists of two regression equations. The first is regarding the determinants of choice of candidate either male or female with equal qualifications for which Logistic regression approach is utilized. The second equation is a linear regression model with people's opinions as dependent variable. Results show that age, gender, marital status, education and income of the household of respondent are significant determinants of attitudes regarding women's political empowerment. The study concludes that wide ranging measures at societal level are necessary along with the quota to ensure effective political empowerment of women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of microfinance to empower women and review some of the studies relevant to the role of microfinance in empowering the women. Microfinance is the organization that provides financial services to the poor to generate their own business. According to HDI Report (1995) 1.3 billion women who earn less than $1 dollar a day are poor. Microfinance organizations enable women to have a control over the resources to generate their own income generating activities. It has been observed that recently increasing number of NGO are involved in the field of micro credit in Pakistan, SAWFCO is one of them, which is working for the poverty alleviation and socio-economic empowerment of vulnerable communities. It is concluded that microcredit scheme of these organizations is a better tool for empowering women and improving living condition of women. This research paper concludes that there has been a positive change in terms of increase in income of women, their contributing role in decision making and significance change in expenditure pattern which includes spending on their children's education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civil society in Pakistan has been playing its role in social, economic and political empowerment of women. Unfortunately, despite of the emergence of vibrant print/electronic media, wide-spread network of women related non-governmental organizations and the focus of political parties on women related issues; a large segment of female population is still struggling hard for the equal status. However, it is pertinent to state that the notion of women empowerment is deeply linked with an over-all change in patriarchal structure of the society, on one side and the truthful understanding of religion (Islam) on the other. We cannot neglect this reality that the growing trend to provide equal opportunities of education and employment to women has contributed to their welfare, but not effective through to make a dent in their over-all well-being. In spite of the fact that more representation is given to the women in legislatures, neither have they suggested remedies for the grievances and dismal plight of women, nor they could suggest the broad framework to improve the role of female socio-economic and political in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore Pakistani women’s definition of women’s empowerment, including its enabling and disenabling factors. Through understanding empowerment, interventions may be developed for women to be empowered. Design: Transcriptions of 35 interviews from a previous study were reanalyzed through secondary data analysis. Findings/Results: The themes of economic stability, social acceptability, educational achievement, and family harmony emerged for the concept of definition of empowerment. Themes for enabling factors were strength of personality and openness of mind. Disenabling factors had sociocultural influences, religious misinterpretations, and dominant ideology as themes. Discussion/Conclusions: Pakistani women hold on to their customs, traditions, and religion tenaciously. The views of empowerment leading to the themes were expressed as true for their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since the inception of parliamentary form of government, women's political participation and representation in decision-making institutions has remained minimal irrespective of the fact that women constitute more than half of the world population today. With the passage of time there is an increased awareness that emergence of a gender-balanced society for addressing issues of status of women can only be realized by encouraging enhanced participation of women in decision and policy making institutions in general and politics and legislature in particular. In different regions of the world there are considerable variations in the political participation of women. This paper, with a focus on South Asia, analyzes the factors, which have contributed to the increasing number of women in legislatures in different regions of the world, and presents the case of Pakistan. The focus of this research is on the role of Pakistani women in the political arena. Throughout the history of Pakistan, the 2002 and present parliament has shown the maximum representation of women. The study observes how this numerical strength in parliament has contributed to the empowerment of Pakistani women and whether women are the 'subjects of change' or the 'agents of change' and if these changes are brought about by women themselves or being launched by some exogenous factors? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the empowerment status of urban women in Pakistan using a multidimensional approach in Lahore – a metropolitan city. Analysis of survey data of 260 women revealed that around two-thirds of women were not empowered. Three dimensions of women's empowerment (WE) – control over resources, mobility and participation in household decision making are relatively weak. A significant proportion of women (49%) did not have control over spending of family savings. A majority of them (70-85%) neither had ownership rights of fixed property (i.e. land and house) nor control over its sale. Around 80% and 55% of women had constrained mobility respectively to financial institutions, and friends (out of city). Moreover, a majority of them did not have participation in household decisions on investment of family savings and purchase of fixed property (i.e. land and house), and availing of financial services. Study also revealed that single women are less empowered compared to married women. Likewise, women with salaried employment were also less empowered than non-working women. Based on findings, the study suggested some key recommendations on women's property rights, improving their role in household decision making, ensuring women friendly workplace environment, and public awareness campaigns through media and academic curricula. It is also highlights that WE is not only key to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) – 5, but can also contribute to achieve several other SDGs. • Study assesses urban women's empowerment status using a multidimensional approach. • Two-third of surveyed women are not empowered. • A majority of women did not have control over family savings and fixed property. • They face challenges to their mobility and participation in household decisions. • Married women are more empowered than single women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]