The Dormancy of Empowerment: An Analytical Study of Various Impediments to Women’s Education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakista

Abstract

Education is a key to empower women, control their lives and a source to overcome the oppressive customs and traditions which are resisting their educational participation. The present study describes the socio-cultural, economic and religious impediments to women’s education in Malakand Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The data was collected from 320 respondents categorized in different segments with proportional allocation method of stratified random sampling technique using questionnaire as a tool of data collection. The data has been analyzed by applying Chi-square test, correlation technique and processed in the form of tables and bar-charts, while discussions have been made on the basis of findings and results. The results show that socio-cultural, economic, religious and political constraints exist in women’s education, which has adversely affected the developmental process. The study suggests that proper policy making, implementation, availability of educational institutions etc. would promisingly increase women’s education in Pakhtun society.

Keywords: Women’s education, Impediments, cultural obstacles, economic obstacles, religious and political barrier