Purdah and Family Planning in Pakistan

Abstract

In Pakistan the only nationally representative national sample survey to ask women whether or not they observed purdah (the Muslim custom of veiling and segregating women) shows that 82% of women in urban areas and 47% in rural areas follow purdah customs. In both rural and urban areas purdah observance is positively associated with several measures of socioeconomic status including husbands and wifes occupation and education ownership of land and durable goods. The only exception to this general pattern is found among the most highly educated urban women who are not as likely to observe purdah as less educated women. After controlling for background variables these relatioships remain. In fact in urban areas the importance of education as a predictor of purdah observances increases when other variables are held constant; education beyond the primary level has a negative effect on purdah observance independent of other social background variables. In relation to family planning attitudes and contraceptive behavior purdah observance does not imply the conservatism that might be expected. When other variables are held constant family size among purdah observers is about the same as that among women who do not observe purdah. While in urban areas roughly the same proportion (about 40%) of observers and nonobservers have favorable attitudes toward family planning in rural areas purdah observers are more likely than nonobservers to favor family planning (24 vs. 12%). In urban areas more observers (19%) than nonobservers (15%) have ever used a contraceptive method; in rural areas levels of ever use are about 9% for both groups. (Authors)