This paper is drawn from a PhD dissertation on women’s experiences of academic leadership in high... more This paper is drawn from a PhD dissertation on women’s experiences of academic leadership in higher education in Pakistan. It aims to document women’s voices from higher education about the discursive construction of their leadership identities within the dominant masculine academic culture. The data presented here is derived from ten in-depth interviews carried out with women leaders from co-educational universities located in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan during the year 2019. The empirical data reveals that women are expected to exercise masculine attributes for representing themselves as successful leaders. However, they feel comfortable acting in their feminine roles by being flexible and accommodating. Women do not consider their gender as an obstacle in constructing leadership identities, yet the masculine academic culture does not accept them in their feminine style. Resultantly, women encounter numerous challenges in constructing their leadership identities. This paper...
IntroductionThe struggle for crime prevention has been an ongoing journey for decades. Sociologis... more IntroductionThe struggle for crime prevention has been an ongoing journey for decades. Sociologist and criminologists have paid special attention to the presence and causes of crimes worldwide. For instance for Emile Durkheim (1964) crimes have a social function. Likewise, Frank Tannenbaum, Robert K Morten, Cesare Lambroso, Edwin H Sutherland and Akers have addressed the causes and consequences of crimes in their work. Correlation between association of criminals peer's groups and criminal behaviour formation has been a longstanding curiosity of criminology. Criminologists give substantial consideration to the connection between criminal peer's group and delinquent behaviour formation (Hochstetler, 2002). Social learning theories are grounded in the supposition that behaviour is learned in relation to some processes i.e. imitations, observations and behaviour modelling (Ormrod, 2004). The social learning theories have paid special emphasis on the individual and the social fa...
Patriarchy is not a new term. Feminist scholars have debated the notion of men exhibiting power o... more Patriarchy is not a new term. Feminist scholars have debated the notion of men exhibiting power over women in societies for decades. The purpose of this paper is to explore the form of patriarchy that is operationalized through women at the household level. Qualitative research was used to examine this phenomenon in district Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Purposive sampling was used to choose the sample consisting of seventeen cases and two FGD’s. The findings highlight that patriarchy is internalized through socialization among women at early stages of their lives. Further, women are re-socialized at the hands of in-laws after marriage. This process of socialization and re-socialization maintains control and power over women. The elder women in the family facilitate this process and act like the male patriarchs. The entire process results in marginalization of women at the hands of women to support the existing power structure.
In Pakistan there are unique socio-cultural factors that contribute to women’s experiences of pre... more In Pakistan there are unique socio-cultural factors that contribute to women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. This study explores Pakistani women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth an area that remains under researched in the country. Qualitative research was employed for data collection by using an un-structured interview guide. The informants included twelve women who had recently been through the childbirth process for the first and second time. The collected data reveals that women were unaware of the use of multi vitamins during pregnancy. They delayed physical check-ups with a gynaecologist. Women encountered challenges at work during pregnancy and encountered work family conflict after childbirth. Support from intimate relations including husbands and in-laws were reported by the respondents. Attitude of colleagues at work was not always positive during pregnancy. The working women reported being overburdened at work. It is suggested that women friendly polic...
This paper critically analyzes the use of the English language in Pakistani universities and its ... more This paper critically analyzes the use of the English language in Pakistani universities and its implications for students. The data for this paper is drawn from qualitative research conducted in two universities in Islamabad-the federal capital of Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 56 participants including teachers and students. The findings illustrate that students struggled to learn and use English in the academic spaces. This was especially true for students from rural backgrounds and those trained in public schools. Yet, despite such difficulties, English was believed to be a powerful language and its significance was acknowledged in order for them to operate as global citizens. Nevertheless, besides the promises associated with the English language, the threats and dangers to the local culture and local languages were also a concern for some participants. It was believed that the foreign culture in the academic spaces was promoting linguistic and cultural hegemony. The paper emphasises the need to make efforts for the maintenance and promotion of the Urdu language despite the dynamics introduced by the hegemony of the English language.
Pashtun societies are well studied by international and national scholars of Pakistan and Afghani... more Pashtun societies are well studied by international and national scholars of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The existing scholarship largely presents a male perspective while explaining the nature, structure, and interpretation of Pashtunwali in Pashtun society. A rigid and fundamentalist view of Pashtun society is usually portrayed such as tarborwali, revenge, honor killings, etc. Our research work was focused specifically on the pashtun females’ experiences and episteme of transmission patterns of Pashtunwali—Pashtuns cardinal code of conduct, among Pashtun women in Pakistan. This study was carried out in three districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)—namely, Charsadda, Karak, and Swat of Pakistan. Thirty-nine (39) Pashtun women having diverse backgrounds concerning age, education, and locale were in-depth interviewed for data collection. The data was analyzed through the thematic qualitative data analysis technique using Standpoint feminism (Sandra Harding and Dorothy Smith) as a major t...
The relationship between the lifestyle of professional women and their health has been researched... more The relationship between the lifestyle of professional women and their health has been researched across the globe, including in developing countries. However, the area remains under-published in the context of Pakistan. The present study was conducted in 2013 to explore the effects of lifestyle on women's health in public and private organizations in Pakistan. The study was quantitative in nature and a sample of 330 professional women was selected by adopting a purposive sampling technique. A self-designed, close-ended questionnaire was used to collect the data. The results of the study highlight that health is strongly related with the lifestyle choices of the participants in modern organizations. Clearly, transformation and reproduction of gender roles have provided a space for women to enter the public arena to meet the demands of the globalizing world. Yet unfavorable working conditions and excessive work at the workplace coupled with traditional household responsibilities ...
Pakistan Journal of Information Management and Libraries
Internet in the last few decades has revolutionized the world and this revolution has also influe... more Internet in the last few decades has revolutionized the world and this revolution has also influenced university students. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between use of online sources and library attendance. By using simple random sampling technique 72 female students from the Department of Sociology, International Islamic university Islamabad were selected as respondents for this study. The data was collected through structured questionnaire. Findings were coded and given quantitative interpretation. The findings indicate that the usage of library has decreased due to the availability of internet facility. Students reported to prefer online sources due to the fact that they are conveniently available without the need to visit the library. Constraints in using the library were also reported. Nevertheless the respondents acknowledged the importance of library and the fact that it gives more authentic knowledge compared to online sources.
Internet in the last few decades has revolutionized the world and this revolution has also influe... more Internet in the last few decades has revolutionized the world and this revolution has also influenced university students. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between use of online sources and library attendance. By using simple random sampling technique 72 female students from the Department of Sociology, International Islamic university Islamabad were selected as respondents for this study. The data was collected through structured questionnaire. Findings were coded and given quantitative interpretation. The findings indicate that the usage of library has decreased due to the availability of internet facility. Students reported to prefer online sources due to the fact that they are conveniently available without the need to visit the library. Constraints in using the library were also reported. Nevertheless the respondents acknowledged the importance of library and the fact that it gives more authentic knowledge compared to online sources.
Social Networking Sites (SNS) are increasingly becoming a focus of discussion in the academic lit... more Social Networking Sites (SNS) are increasingly becoming a focus of discussion in the academic literature across the globe. The current research was conducted to explore the effects of social media on youth in contemporary Pakistan especially focusing on the change in family relations. Under the paradigm of quantitative research methodology the researchers used survey method to collect data. Data was collected through structured questionnaire from 175 Masters level students from the International Islamic University Islamabad who were excessively using SNS. The respondents were selected by using Random sampling technique and stratified sampling technique. The findings show that the majority (94%) of the respondents acknowledged that excessive use of social media affects family relationships negatively. They reported to have experienced being isolated and alienated from relatives, friends and from themselves. This in turn was reported to lead to introvert personalities. In the light of...
Research on women’s leadership has been largely male-centric and has used masculine characteristi... more Research on women’s leadership has been largely male-centric and has used masculine characteristics to measure and evaluate such roles. This paper aims to unveil women’s leadership in Pakistani universities. Using a feminist perspective, we argue that female academics encounter multiple barriers at work. The data for this paper was collected via in-depth interviews with twelve women leaders from public universities in Islamabad, Pakistan to understand their experiences. Our findings show how our research participants struggled in order to navigate their careers. This paper documents organizational factors such as male-dominated networks, stereotypes and personal factors, for instance, time spent on familial roles that may hamper their positions. Clearly, they encountered constraints in reaching top management levels and sustaining these. However, in order to achieve such positions these women acknowledged the support of family, their high socioeconomic status and effective networkin...
This study explores the experiences of women academics while combining the challenging job of onl... more This study explores the experiences of women academics while combining the challenging job of online teaching and familial responsibilities during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Pakistan. The aim is to outline the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on women academics. We employed a qualitative research design and collected data through in-depth qualitative telephonic interviews with thirteen women academics in four public sector universities in Pakistan. The findings show that women academics remained overwhelmed by the workload; lacked support; and endured a tiring struggle to manage their official duties and familial responsibilities. They were stressed and stuck in their children and family care and online teaching and had hardly any time for academic writing. The participants expressed being burned out, depressed, exhausted, angry, and in desperate need of personal time. Since women experienced the lockdown differently than men we suggest that they may be compensated at the time of ...
2 Abstract: This paper unveils the experiences of street life in Pakistan from an emic perspectiv... more 2 Abstract: This paper unveils the experiences of street life in Pakistan from an emic perspective. It reveals some of the complexities and potential risks to the children living on streets. The research was conducted in Islamabad-Rawalpindi and data was collected through a survey and in-depth interviews from boys aged between 7-18 years. The paper illustrates that children who escaped insecure and unfriendly environment at home were in turn exposed to insecurity, abuse and harassment in the public spaces. Yet, the findings show that despite the various problems encountered on the streets the respondents asserted on having a sense of agency. To reduce and overcome the vulnerability of the street children and to ensure their inclusion in the society the research recommends that the phenomenon requires serious attention which should be in interdisciplinary ways with interventions at multiple levels. Combined efforts are required on part of government, anti-poverty programmes and civil...
International Journal of Innovation in Teaching and Learning (IJITL)
This paper examines the experiences of women in educational administrative positions in public Sc... more This paper examines the experiences of women in educational administrative positions in public Schools in Islamabad, Pakistan by using a qualitative research design. In-depth interviews were conducted with head teachers from twenty girls’ model schools from urban areas of Islamabad. The findings of this study reveal that school leadership is not as simplistic and easy as assumed. Instead, it is complex and challenging due to personal and organizational constraints. The data shows that the participants felt reluctant to take leading positions as a result of work-family conflict. Furthermore, they also feared to be able to balance household responsibilities and administrative tasks. While some felt reluctant to work as leaders due to their attributes, others who opted to take the leading positions made personal sacrifices. Moreover, several organizational rules and regulations such as maternity leave and policies regarding child care were believed to distract teachers thus providing h...
This paper is drawn from a PhD dissertation on women’s experiences of academic leadership in high... more This paper is drawn from a PhD dissertation on women’s experiences of academic leadership in higher education in Pakistan. It aims to document women’s voices from higher education about the discursive construction of their leadership identities within the dominant masculine academic culture. The data presented here is derived from ten in-depth interviews carried out with women leaders from co-educational universities located in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan during the year 2019. The empirical data reveals that women are expected to exercise masculine attributes for representing themselves as successful leaders. However, they feel comfortable acting in their feminine roles by being flexible and accommodating. Women do not consider their gender as an obstacle in constructing leadership identities, yet the masculine academic culture does not accept them in their feminine style. Resultantly, women encounter numerous challenges in constructing their leadership identities. This paper...
IntroductionThe struggle for crime prevention has been an ongoing journey for decades. Sociologis... more IntroductionThe struggle for crime prevention has been an ongoing journey for decades. Sociologist and criminologists have paid special attention to the presence and causes of crimes worldwide. For instance for Emile Durkheim (1964) crimes have a social function. Likewise, Frank Tannenbaum, Robert K Morten, Cesare Lambroso, Edwin H Sutherland and Akers have addressed the causes and consequences of crimes in their work. Correlation between association of criminals peer's groups and criminal behaviour formation has been a longstanding curiosity of criminology. Criminologists give substantial consideration to the connection between criminal peer's group and delinquent behaviour formation (Hochstetler, 2002). Social learning theories are grounded in the supposition that behaviour is learned in relation to some processes i.e. imitations, observations and behaviour modelling (Ormrod, 2004). The social learning theories have paid special emphasis on the individual and the social fa...
Patriarchy is not a new term. Feminist scholars have debated the notion of men exhibiting power o... more Patriarchy is not a new term. Feminist scholars have debated the notion of men exhibiting power over women in societies for decades. The purpose of this paper is to explore the form of patriarchy that is operationalized through women at the household level. Qualitative research was used to examine this phenomenon in district Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Purposive sampling was used to choose the sample consisting of seventeen cases and two FGD’s. The findings highlight that patriarchy is internalized through socialization among women at early stages of their lives. Further, women are re-socialized at the hands of in-laws after marriage. This process of socialization and re-socialization maintains control and power over women. The elder women in the family facilitate this process and act like the male patriarchs. The entire process results in marginalization of women at the hands of women to support the existing power structure.
In Pakistan there are unique socio-cultural factors that contribute to women’s experiences of pre... more In Pakistan there are unique socio-cultural factors that contribute to women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. This study explores Pakistani women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth an area that remains under researched in the country. Qualitative research was employed for data collection by using an un-structured interview guide. The informants included twelve women who had recently been through the childbirth process for the first and second time. The collected data reveals that women were unaware of the use of multi vitamins during pregnancy. They delayed physical check-ups with a gynaecologist. Women encountered challenges at work during pregnancy and encountered work family conflict after childbirth. Support from intimate relations including husbands and in-laws were reported by the respondents. Attitude of colleagues at work was not always positive during pregnancy. The working women reported being overburdened at work. It is suggested that women friendly polic...
This paper critically analyzes the use of the English language in Pakistani universities and its ... more This paper critically analyzes the use of the English language in Pakistani universities and its implications for students. The data for this paper is drawn from qualitative research conducted in two universities in Islamabad-the federal capital of Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 56 participants including teachers and students. The findings illustrate that students struggled to learn and use English in the academic spaces. This was especially true for students from rural backgrounds and those trained in public schools. Yet, despite such difficulties, English was believed to be a powerful language and its significance was acknowledged in order for them to operate as global citizens. Nevertheless, besides the promises associated with the English language, the threats and dangers to the local culture and local languages were also a concern for some participants. It was believed that the foreign culture in the academic spaces was promoting linguistic and cultural hegemony. The paper emphasises the need to make efforts for the maintenance and promotion of the Urdu language despite the dynamics introduced by the hegemony of the English language.
Pashtun societies are well studied by international and national scholars of Pakistan and Afghani... more Pashtun societies are well studied by international and national scholars of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The existing scholarship largely presents a male perspective while explaining the nature, structure, and interpretation of Pashtunwali in Pashtun society. A rigid and fundamentalist view of Pashtun society is usually portrayed such as tarborwali, revenge, honor killings, etc. Our research work was focused specifically on the pashtun females’ experiences and episteme of transmission patterns of Pashtunwali—Pashtuns cardinal code of conduct, among Pashtun women in Pakistan. This study was carried out in three districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)—namely, Charsadda, Karak, and Swat of Pakistan. Thirty-nine (39) Pashtun women having diverse backgrounds concerning age, education, and locale were in-depth interviewed for data collection. The data was analyzed through the thematic qualitative data analysis technique using Standpoint feminism (Sandra Harding and Dorothy Smith) as a major t...
The relationship between the lifestyle of professional women and their health has been researched... more The relationship between the lifestyle of professional women and their health has been researched across the globe, including in developing countries. However, the area remains under-published in the context of Pakistan. The present study was conducted in 2013 to explore the effects of lifestyle on women's health in public and private organizations in Pakistan. The study was quantitative in nature and a sample of 330 professional women was selected by adopting a purposive sampling technique. A self-designed, close-ended questionnaire was used to collect the data. The results of the study highlight that health is strongly related with the lifestyle choices of the participants in modern organizations. Clearly, transformation and reproduction of gender roles have provided a space for women to enter the public arena to meet the demands of the globalizing world. Yet unfavorable working conditions and excessive work at the workplace coupled with traditional household responsibilities ...
Pakistan Journal of Information Management and Libraries
Internet in the last few decades has revolutionized the world and this revolution has also influe... more Internet in the last few decades has revolutionized the world and this revolution has also influenced university students. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between use of online sources and library attendance. By using simple random sampling technique 72 female students from the Department of Sociology, International Islamic university Islamabad were selected as respondents for this study. The data was collected through structured questionnaire. Findings were coded and given quantitative interpretation. The findings indicate that the usage of library has decreased due to the availability of internet facility. Students reported to prefer online sources due to the fact that they are conveniently available without the need to visit the library. Constraints in using the library were also reported. Nevertheless the respondents acknowledged the importance of library and the fact that it gives more authentic knowledge compared to online sources.
Internet in the last few decades has revolutionized the world and this revolution has also influe... more Internet in the last few decades has revolutionized the world and this revolution has also influenced university students. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between use of online sources and library attendance. By using simple random sampling technique 72 female students from the Department of Sociology, International Islamic university Islamabad were selected as respondents for this study. The data was collected through structured questionnaire. Findings were coded and given quantitative interpretation. The findings indicate that the usage of library has decreased due to the availability of internet facility. Students reported to prefer online sources due to the fact that they are conveniently available without the need to visit the library. Constraints in using the library were also reported. Nevertheless the respondents acknowledged the importance of library and the fact that it gives more authentic knowledge compared to online sources.
Social Networking Sites (SNS) are increasingly becoming a focus of discussion in the academic lit... more Social Networking Sites (SNS) are increasingly becoming a focus of discussion in the academic literature across the globe. The current research was conducted to explore the effects of social media on youth in contemporary Pakistan especially focusing on the change in family relations. Under the paradigm of quantitative research methodology the researchers used survey method to collect data. Data was collected through structured questionnaire from 175 Masters level students from the International Islamic University Islamabad who were excessively using SNS. The respondents were selected by using Random sampling technique and stratified sampling technique. The findings show that the majority (94%) of the respondents acknowledged that excessive use of social media affects family relationships negatively. They reported to have experienced being isolated and alienated from relatives, friends and from themselves. This in turn was reported to lead to introvert personalities. In the light of...
Research on women’s leadership has been largely male-centric and has used masculine characteristi... more Research on women’s leadership has been largely male-centric and has used masculine characteristics to measure and evaluate such roles. This paper aims to unveil women’s leadership in Pakistani universities. Using a feminist perspective, we argue that female academics encounter multiple barriers at work. The data for this paper was collected via in-depth interviews with twelve women leaders from public universities in Islamabad, Pakistan to understand their experiences. Our findings show how our research participants struggled in order to navigate their careers. This paper documents organizational factors such as male-dominated networks, stereotypes and personal factors, for instance, time spent on familial roles that may hamper their positions. Clearly, they encountered constraints in reaching top management levels and sustaining these. However, in order to achieve such positions these women acknowledged the support of family, their high socioeconomic status and effective networkin...
This study explores the experiences of women academics while combining the challenging job of onl... more This study explores the experiences of women academics while combining the challenging job of online teaching and familial responsibilities during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Pakistan. The aim is to outline the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on women academics. We employed a qualitative research design and collected data through in-depth qualitative telephonic interviews with thirteen women academics in four public sector universities in Pakistan. The findings show that women academics remained overwhelmed by the workload; lacked support; and endured a tiring struggle to manage their official duties and familial responsibilities. They were stressed and stuck in their children and family care and online teaching and had hardly any time for academic writing. The participants expressed being burned out, depressed, exhausted, angry, and in desperate need of personal time. Since women experienced the lockdown differently than men we suggest that they may be compensated at the time of ...
2 Abstract: This paper unveils the experiences of street life in Pakistan from an emic perspectiv... more 2 Abstract: This paper unveils the experiences of street life in Pakistan from an emic perspective. It reveals some of the complexities and potential risks to the children living on streets. The research was conducted in Islamabad-Rawalpindi and data was collected through a survey and in-depth interviews from boys aged between 7-18 years. The paper illustrates that children who escaped insecure and unfriendly environment at home were in turn exposed to insecurity, abuse and harassment in the public spaces. Yet, the findings show that despite the various problems encountered on the streets the respondents asserted on having a sense of agency. To reduce and overcome the vulnerability of the street children and to ensure their inclusion in the society the research recommends that the phenomenon requires serious attention which should be in interdisciplinary ways with interventions at multiple levels. Combined efforts are required on part of government, anti-poverty programmes and civil...
International Journal of Innovation in Teaching and Learning (IJITL)
This paper examines the experiences of women in educational administrative positions in public Sc... more This paper examines the experiences of women in educational administrative positions in public Schools in Islamabad, Pakistan by using a qualitative research design. In-depth interviews were conducted with head teachers from twenty girls’ model schools from urban areas of Islamabad. The findings of this study reveal that school leadership is not as simplistic and easy as assumed. Instead, it is complex and challenging due to personal and organizational constraints. The data shows that the participants felt reluctant to take leading positions as a result of work-family conflict. Furthermore, they also feared to be able to balance household responsibilities and administrative tasks. While some felt reluctant to work as leaders due to their attributes, others who opted to take the leading positions made personal sacrifices. Moreover, several organizational rules and regulations such as maternity leave and policies regarding child care were believed to distract teachers thus providing h...
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Papers by Rabia Ali