WOMEN STRUGGLE FOR EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF WOMEN’S EDUCATION IN POST CONFLICT ERA IN SWAT VALLEY, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Women’s education was under attack by militants in the Swat valley. Violence against schoolgirls by the militants in the Swat valley of Pakistan along-with the two phases of military operation (2007 and 2009) and displacement of Swat residents created a negative atmosphere for women’s education. This study addresses the experiences of schoolgirls during conflict and post-conflict situations. In a post-conflict situation, women faced challenges in gaining their position in the field of education. The study is based on the analysis of 13 semi-structured interviews with undertaken with Pakhtun women (women representing Pakhtun tribe) selected through snowball sampling technique from two tehsils of Swat Valley, who have continued their struggle for continuing their education in the post-conflict situation. The study examined the experiences of these women under the conditions of patriarchal system [Pakhtunwali] and militancy by using the concepts from Bourdieu’s theory of practice. The collected information was analyzed qualitatively under different themes to clarify the issue under study. It suggests that women of Swat overcome the status of being a victim of militancy to agents of change. Despite their vulnerabilities in the situations created by conflict and culture, these young women struggled to bring positive change in their lives.