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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]

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]

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]

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]

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The current study elaborates the detailed view of female leadership in Pakistani political arena. It also describes their position for political policymaking which also defines the context of women's political empowerment as well as their participation in democratic process. Female leaders' style of politics and role to strengthen the democratic norms and values has also been debated in context to defined political indicators as well as women empowerment dimensions. The political mentoring and priming of the female leaders and challenging positions for them had also been examined in this study. The study is done by using the qualitative content analysis technique and may enhance the understandings about the females in Pakistani political sphere. The study is concluded as that female political played their role significantly in the democratic and power corridors of Pakistan. Women politicians have served on all parliamentary positions and their role has been well considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Electronic media, particularly television (TV), remains an important tool which can contribute positively in achieving women's empowerment (WE) in developing countries. In Pakistan, TV morning shows are highly popular among women viewers particularly in urban areas and have emerged as a powerful tool to influence WE. Cognizant of this, the present study attempted empirically to investigate the influence of TV morning shows on urban women's empowerment, using a mixed method approach—a combination of qualitative and quantitative tools. In 2018, the study collected qualitative data from 66 episodes of five leading TV morning shows, and quantitative data from 260 women in Lahore—a metropolitan city of Pakistan. Findings revealed that TV morning shows presented the content on WE, and invited women celebrities to portray their success stories to inspire women viewers. Multidimensional assessment of WE showed that only 33% of surveyed women were empowered. It was also found that there was a need of improvement in women's control over resources, their mobility and participation in household level decision making. Regression analysis showed that TV morning shows related variables—women's intensity of watching morning shows, their interest in morning shows' content on WE and their interest in watching women celebrities in morning shows had positive influence on WE and its dimensions at different levels of statistical significance. Based on findings, the study has suggested some key recommendations for TV channels to support the national efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and WE. [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]

Half of the world's population are women and their condition is severe all over the world. The 21st century's most pressing issue is women's empowerment. The West's incredible affluence is directly related to the emancipation of its women. With enabling the other half of the people, it has been demonstrated that no nation can flourish in any industry. Many governmental and non-governmental organisations are actively addressing the topic of female equality, however the United Nations (UN) efforts stand out because its charter guarantees women's basic freedoms. The UN has organised numerous conventions, forums, and symposia on female issues over the past 20 years to spur global action. Several UN organisations are working on this subject, but the United Nations Development Program has done the most effective work in terms of empowering women (UNDP). The present study in hand shed lights the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) programs and projects in the rural Punjab in Pakistan. This is profoundly a qualitative research along with desk research using secondary data serene through published annals, libraries search contraptions and other internet springs. Mostly, the data collected were secondary data obtained from sources that are related directly to the theme of study. [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]

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]

Pakistan is a country where women are half in population, but women have less opportunity to have empowerment regarding decision making. Women remain under male domination, and various social, cultural and economic disparities. In Pakistan, they are not empowered. Women’s involvement in domestic decision-making has recognized for family development. This study was conducted to analyses the women empowerment at social, educational and political level. The objectives were to discern the status of women empowerment in political organizations, to recommend the status of women empowerment, to highlight empowerment of women in educational fields and to investigate women’s role in decision making at social level. Research question were, what is women empowerment status with respect to decision making in politics, how to empower women in decision making at social level, how decision making of empowered women influences on the educational institutes and how the women of our society be empowered? Mixed method approach was used to collect the data, survey questionnaire, and interview and document analysis. Sample of the study was 110 working and 110 non-working women, 30 political women. (N=250). The major findings tell that women’s decision-making in urban area is almost equal in household matters. In rural areas, women have a predominant role of husbands and other family members. The result shows that Pakistani women have no right in decision making at different levels. They cannot get their rights. Women should be empowered through rights of education, health, better living standard, security, jobs, skills, decision making authority, and respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through employing ethnographic data collected with female teachers from rural and low-income communities in Pakistan, this paper examines how parhi likhi (educated) women's access to valuable opportunities in public domains is contingent upon them becoming subject to new regulations, especially regarding their sexuality. This gendered process of regulated empowerment challenges the discourse of women's education as universally empowering and highlights the complex and multidimensional impact of education in different sociocultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women are the most deprived section of Pakistani society, and the life of a rural woman is far the worst and most vulnerable compared to the rest of the women of that country. Generally, a rural woman has no awareness regarding her health, education, property, and marriage rights. This study aims to find out the views and opinions of rural women of district Multan in Punjab concerning their awareness of their fundamental human rights and their implications for family affairs, such as decisions regarding marriage, children's future, and final authority in family matters. The author selected this area, as this region has been infamous for grave incidents of violence against women in the past and continues to be so today. The findings suggest that women are not given their human and fundamental right to get education and decide about themselves and for their children. Nongovernmental organizations are working effectively, but still there is a long way for them to go in the struggle of women's empowerment in the Multan area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large body of research has explored the links between women’s decision making and their uptake of maternal health services, but the evidence so far is inconclusive. This study uses the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey to examine the influence of household decision making on women’s uptake of maternal health services. We find that women’s decision-making power has a significant positive correlation with maternal health services uptake and that influential males’ decision-making power has the opposite effect, after controlling for socio-economic indicators and supply-side conditions. Our findings suggest that empowering women and increasing their ability to make decisions may increase their uptake of maternal health services. They also suggest that policies directed toward improving women’s utilization of maternal health services in Pakistan must target men as well as women. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]