ABSTRACT
This paper – a version of the presidential address delivered at the North Central Sociological Association (NCSA) annual meeting in April 2022 – details research undertaken between 2020 and 2021 on violence against women in Pakistan. Three data sources are used to critically analyze the frequency and magnitude of violence against women in Pakistan: secondary data collected by Pakistan government and international organizations, social and print media in Pakistan, and in-depth interviews conducted with 337 women in Pakistan. Findings address the relationship of several variables highlighted in the literature and Hein’s model of violence against women, including type of marriage, background, education, income, occupation, drug use, experiences of childhood violence, the dowry system, and control tendencies of men.
Acknowledgments
I’d like to extend my gratitude to my six research assistants for their hard work collecting data in the middle of COVID-19: Wajeeha Zainab Terhreem Rashiq, Faiza Mohsin, Ayesha Rashiq Marfooa Murad, and Rida Mohsin. I also extend special thanks to Professor Muhammad Siddiq and Professor Alison Rautman at Michigan State University for reviewing and editing my paper.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Fayyaz Hussain
Fayyaz Hussain served as president of the North Central Sociological Association in 2021–2022. He has been teaching at Michigan State University for the last 27 years. In addition to MSU, he has taught in Pakistan, Nigeria, Belize, and China.