Abstract
Resistance to girls’ education in Pakistan has long been an intractable problem; the lowest enrolment figures are in Pashtun areas. This study focused on Pashtun men’s perceptions of girls’ education. Pashtun men of diverse backgrounds participated in a two-round Delphi exercise, followed by in-depth qualitative interviews in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan. Although contradictory ideas from religion, culture, and politics were elicited, consensus developed on major barriers to girls’ access to education: poverty, Pashtunwali (tribal code), religion, accessibility, resources, shortage of female teachers, curriculum, and political apathy and corruption. Understanding the barriers to girls’ education could help development professionals overcome them.
Highlights
IntroductionBackground and ContextThe gender gap in education reflects the broader social, political, and economic inequality of women, with far-reaching implications for most developing communities
Background and ContextThe gender gap in education reflects the broader social, political, and economic inequality of women, with far-reaching implications for most developing communities
There was consensus that gender discrimination is widespread in Pashtun communities, including in the area of education
Summary
Background and ContextThe gender gap in education reflects the broader social, political, and economic inequality of women, with far-reaching implications for most developing communities. Within the social development community, there is general agreement that women’s education plays a critically important role in socioeconomic development, the precise method by which it does so is debated (Balatchandirane, 2003; Schultz, 1993). In 2000, the United Nations (UN) Millennium Summit adopted Millennium Development Goals to put “development at the heart of the global agenda.”. The third such goal is to “promote gender equality and empower women, with the target of eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and in all levels of education by 2015” In 2000, the United Nations (UN) Millennium Summit adopted Millennium Development Goals to put “development at the heart of the global agenda.” The third such goal is to “promote gender equality and empower women, with the target of eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and in all levels of education by 2015” (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2005, p. 7).
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