ARTICLE

CULTURAL CONSTRAINTS AND WOMENS EDUCATION A CASE STUDY OF WOMENS HIGHER EDUCATION IN DISTRICT MARDAN

09 Pages : 98-107

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gsr.2024(IX-III).09      10.31703/gsr.2024(IX-III).09      Published : Sep 2024

Cultural Constraints and Women's Education: A Case Study of Women's Higher Education in District Mardan

    The purpose of this study is to explore deeply rooted cultural issues responsible for women's failure to pursue higher education in District Mardan, Pakistan. For this purpose, a qualitative research approach is employed and data is collected through semi-structured interviews with male household heads. The research pinpointed major issues that surfaced as early marriages, family responsibilities, and discrimination on the basis of gender, poverty, and stigmatization of women rather than men. These barriers do not only stifle the growth of women but also the development of the region in terms of economic incorporation and human resources development. The thematic analysis technique is utilized for qualitative data analysis. This study focuses on equal opportunities for all, irrespective of gender identity, and aims to generate awareness among all relevant stakeholders: family members, community, and policymakers. 

    Women's Higher Education, Cultural Barriers, Gender Discrimination, Early Marriages, District Mardan
    (1) Saad Saud Jan
    Graduate, Department of Sociology, Forman Christian College A Chartered University Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (2) Athar Azeem
    Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Forman Christian College, A Chartered University Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
  • Amin, R., Ahmad, S., Ali, A., Fahim, M., Meena, T., & Khan, M. A. (2021). The effects of Pashtun culture on girls' higher education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Elementary Education Online, 20(5), 7656-7656. https://ilkogretim-online.org/index.php/pub/article/download/3634/3535/6980 

  • Ahmad, I., Said, H., Hussain, A., & Khan, S. (2014). Barriers to co-education in Pakistan and its implications on girls' education: Critical review of literature. Science International, 26(1), 225-229.
  • ASER. (2013). Mardan: District report card education. http://aserpakistan.org/document/aser/2014/drc/KPK/Mardan.pdf
  • Government of KPK. (2023). Mardan district demographics. https://kp.gov.pk/page/mardandistrictdemographics
  • Hill, L. (2001). THE FIRST WAVE OF FEMINISM: WERE THE STOICS FEMINISTS? History of Political Thought, 22(1), 13–40. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26219818
  • Jalal-ud-Din, M., & Khan, M. (2008). Socio-economic and cultural constraints of women in Pakistan with special reference to Mardan district, NWFP province. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 24(3), 485-493.
  • Jan, S. U. K., Ali, A., & Niqab, M. (2018). Cultural constraints to female higher education in Malakand Division, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies, 17(1), 203–218. https://doi.org/10.46568/pjgs.v17i1.17
  • Jamshaid, S. (2020). Socoi-Economic and cultural constraints in higher education of females in Pakistan: (A case study of Dera Ghazi Khan). STATISTICS COMPUTING AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH, 2(2), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.52700/scir.v2i2.14
  • Maqsood, F., Maqsood, S., & Raza, H. (2012). Getting higher education: Is it really a challenge for females in Pakistan? Academic Research International, 2(3), 352-360.
  • Mehmood, S., Chong, L., & Hussain, M. (2018). Females Higher Education in Pakistan: An analysis of Socio-Economic and Cultural challenges. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.56.4658
  • Mahmood, A. (2012). Women’s education in Pakistan: Cultural constraints & social challenges. Journal of Gender and Social Issues, 11(1), 1-10.
  • Malinowska, A. (2020). Waves of feminism. The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119429128.iegmc096
  • Noury, A. G., & Speciale, B. (2016). Social constraints and women’s education: Evidence from Afghanistan under radical religious rule. Journal of Comparative Economics, 44(4), 821–841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2016.07.005
  • Shaukat, S., & Pell, A. W. (2017). The Impact of Socio-cultural factors on females passing through Higher Education in Pakistan. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 17(71), 193–214. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2017.71.11
  • Ullah, Z., Abouzar, M., & Saba, N. (2021). Constraints in Access to Higher Education: A Case Study of Female in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences (QJSS), 2(1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.55737/qjss.241773933
  • Yaqoob, T. (2012). Socio-cultural constraints faced by girls regarding access to their secondary education in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. International Journal of Management Sciences and Business Research, 1(12), 1-8.

Cite this article

    APA : Jan, S. S., & Azeem, A. (2024). Cultural Constraints and Women's Education: A Case Study of Women's Higher Education in District Mardan. Global Sociological Review, IX(III), 98-107. https://doi.org/10.31703/gsr.2024(IX-III).09
    CHICAGO : Jan, Saad Saud, and Athar Azeem. 2024. "Cultural Constraints and Women's Education: A Case Study of Women's Higher Education in District Mardan." Global Sociological Review, IX (III): 98-107 doi: 10.31703/gsr.2024(IX-III).09
    HARVARD : JAN, S. S. & AZEEM, A. 2024. Cultural Constraints and Women's Education: A Case Study of Women's Higher Education in District Mardan. Global Sociological Review, IX, 98-107.
    MHRA : Jan, Saad Saud, and Athar Azeem. 2024. "Cultural Constraints and Women's Education: A Case Study of Women's Higher Education in District Mardan." Global Sociological Review, IX: 98-107
    MLA : Jan, Saad Saud, and Athar Azeem. "Cultural Constraints and Women's Education: A Case Study of Women's Higher Education in District Mardan." Global Sociological Review, IX.III (2024): 98-107 Print.
    OXFORD : Jan, Saad Saud and Azeem, Athar (2024), "Cultural Constraints and Women's Education: A Case Study of Women's Higher Education in District Mardan", Global Sociological Review, IX (III), 98-107
    TURABIAN : Jan, Saad Saud, and Athar Azeem. "Cultural Constraints and Women's Education: A Case Study of Women's Higher Education in District Mardan." Global Sociological Review IX, no. III (2024): 98-107. https://doi.org/10.31703/gsr.2024(IX-III).09