THE IMPLICATION OF PATRIARCHY AND GENDER ROLES SOCIALIZATION ON THE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS OF WOMEN, IN DISTRICT DIR UPPER

Abstract

The concepts of patriarchy and gender role differences are important in the study of women's socioeconomic position and status in rural Pakistan. Women who constitute fifty-two percent of the population of the country, encounters patriarchy as a major obstacle towards their low social, economic and political status in comparison to men. Those families which uphold patriarchal standards effect the social relations and decision-making and have been contributing towards women's poor socio-economic position and results in their seclusion. The current study aims to know that how the prevalent patriarchal gender norms affect the behavior and role of male and female, and that how men utilize these roles as a socio-economic power. The study was carried out in District Dir Upper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and field data was collected from 40 male and 50 female respondents randomly selected in three villages i.e. Chiragali Payeen, Mano Banda and Chiragali Bala. The collected data was qualitatively and thematically analyzed and the results show that the socioeconomic status of women remain low due to the prevailing socio-cultural norms which supports men to make major decisions. Multiple socio- cultural barriers exist that defines the roles differences in a gendered fashion, and support the status quo of male domination and women subordination. It is suggested that priority to women's education and economic activities shall be given for their social empowerment and development.