Women academics’ motivation for higher education and empowerment: a qualitative case study in Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Women’s empowerment is an important goal of the educational processes around the world. Women in developing countries need support and motivation for attaining higher education and empowerment. This qualitative-exploratory study sought to explore the perceptions of Pakistani female university academics living inside predominantly patriarchal social structures regarding their motivation for and issues in attaining higher education and empowerment. The study also aimed at understanding the notion of empowerment and areas where women academics have achieved empowered status. The study also investigated women academics’ access to higher education, and its impact on their current social positioning in a traditional social setup. A total of 30 purposefully selected women academics from public sector universities in Northwest Pakistan constituted the study sample. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that patriarchal social structures in and outside workplaces influence women academics’ motivation for higher education and empowerment. However, some motivational factors, including economic stability, professional identity in society, intellectual fulfilment and support of fathers and husbands seemed instrumental in contributing to women academics’ pursuits of higher education and attainment of positions in academia.

KEYWORDS:

• Women academics
• higher education
• empowerment
• motivation
• Pakistan

Acknowledgement

We would like to show our gratitude to all the participants of the study for sharing their valuable experiences with us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study is self-funded.

Notes on contributors

Ahsan Ur Rehman

Dr. Ahsan Ur Rahman completed his PhD in education in 2018 from Qurtaba University of Science and Technology, Pakistan. He is currently serving as a subject specialist in the department of elementary and secondary education, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Dr. Ahsan's teaching and research interests include teacher education, women empowerment and students' academic problems. He has published research papers in well-reputed journals and has presented papers in national and international conferences.

Muhammad Ilyas Khan

Dr. Muhammad Ilyas Khan completed his PhD in education at the University of Leicester, UK in 2012. Before his doctorate degree, he did his M.Ed. at the University of Peshawar, Pakistan. He has over 25 years of teaching experience ranging from school-level to university-level teaching. Dr. Khan is currently working as an associate professor and chairperson at the department of education, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan. Dr. Khan has around 30 research publications in national and international research journals including Educational Management Administration and Leadership (EMAL), Asian Journal of Women Studies and Management in Education. His book chapters have been published by publishers including Brill and Emerald. He has also been writing on educational and social issues in leading Pakistani English language newspapers including Dawn and The News since 2004. Dr. Khan has been a reviewer for several national and international research journals including Reflective Practice and Journal of Education for Teaching.

Uzma Dayan

Dr. Uzma Dayan is a lecturer at the Institute of Education and Research, University of Peshawar, Pakistan with sixteen years experience of teaching developmental psychology, assessment practices and EFL to adult students. She has a Master's in English Literature and Applied Linguistics and a Master's in Education from the University of Peshawar, Pakistan. She obtained her PhD from the Institute of Education and Research, University of Peshawar, Pakistan. Dayan has a certificate course in Formative Assessment Techniques from the Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED). She has been involved in designing and teaching various courses offered in BS-Education, BEd, MEd and MPhil at the University of Peshawar. She is a recipient of the Gold Medal in Masters in Education. Her research interests are in Language Teaching, Inclusive Education, Adolescence Psychology, Teachers' beliefs and practices and Women's rights towards peacebuilding. She has presented papers in international and national conferences on Pedagogical Skills and Teacher Education. She is currently engaged in exploring how teachers' beliefs influence students' learning.

Syed Munir Ahmad

Dr. Sayed Munir Ahmad completed his PhD from the University of Nottingham, UK in 2010 in the sociology of education and training. His research interests include teacher education, primary and secondary education, leadership in education and parents-teachers involvement in school. His areas of expertise include qualitative and mixed methods research in education and social sciences, English writing and presentation skills and language teaching. Currently, Dr. Muneer Ahmad is engaged in research on, gender issues, the interplay between religion and culture, the status and power of education in society and parental involvement in school.