Gender roles and their influence on life prospects for women in urban Karachi, Pak0istan: a qualitative study

Tazeen S Ali, Gunilla Krantz and Ingrid Mogren contributed equally to this work

Background

Pakistan is a patriarchal society where men are the primary authority figures and women are subordinate. This has serious implications on women's and men's life prospects.

Objective

The aim was to explore current gender roles in urban Pakistan, how these are reproduced and maintained and influence men's and women's life circumstances.

Design

Five focus group discussions were conducted, including 28 women representing employed, unemployed, educated and uneducated women from different socio-economic strata. Manifest and latent content analyses were applied.

Findings

Two major themes emerged during analysis: ‘Reiteration of gender roles’ and ‘Agents of change’. The first theme included perceptions of traditional gender roles and how these preserve women's subordination. The power gradient, with men holding a superior position in relation to women, distinctive features in the culture and the role of the extended family were considered to interact to suppress women. The second theme included agents of change, where the role of education was prominent as well as the role of mass media. It was further emphasised that the younger generation was more positive to modernisation of gender roles than the elder generation.

Conclusions

This study reveals serious gender inequalities and human rights violations against women in the Pakistani society. The unequal gender roles were perceived as static and enforced by structures imbedded in society. Women routinely faced serious restrictions and limitations of autonomy. However, attainment of higher levels of education especially not only for women but also for men was viewed as an agent towards change. Furthermore, mass media was perceived as having a positive role to play in supporting women's empowerment.

• gender roles
• gender inequality
• women's health
• intimate partner violence
• focus group discussions
• Pakistan

Acknowledgements

This study was made possible by a grant from the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher education (STINT) and by support from the Swedish Institute. This study was also supported by the Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Global Health (IHCAR), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden and the School of Nursing and The Community Health Department at Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Department of Clinical Science, at Umeå University gave support during the article preparation. The authors would especially like to thank participants of this study who provided in-depth information.

Notes

Tazeen S Ali, Gunilla Krantz and Ingrid Mogren contributed equally to this work