Socio-economic and Cultural Factors of Violence against Women in Pakistan

Abstract

In Pakistan, violence against women is an uncanny behaviour that transpired to be a ‘norm’ due to the preposterous acceptance of centuries-old conservative and feudal mindset. Though there have been legislative developments to address this serious issue, the actual state of affairs remains disappointing and discouraging. This study discusses the socio-economic, cultural, religious and institutional factors that sustain abuse conducted against women. In this regard, qualitative approach has been adopted to understand the power-dynamics that prevail at different levels of the society to draw out perspectives from a wide variety of stakeholders regarding the issues at hand. The locale of the study is the provinces of Punjab (Lahore, Multan, and Khanewal) and Sindh (Karachi, Sukkur, and Hyderabad). The main purpose of the study is to expose the major abusers who are directly or indirectly responsible for committing violence against women. The study also aims to identify the pressure groups that may help improve the situation. The outcome of our assessment shows that women face direct, cultural and structural violence through a deeply entrenched system of patriarchy at all tiers of public and private life. Overcoming this challenge requires a shift in the conservative mindset and collective thinking of male members of the society to recognize women’s rights so as to bring an improvement at all levels.