Gender Roles In Pakistan Sociology Essay

sex Roles In Pakistan Sociology Essay sexual urge reflects the soci every last(predicate)y relieve oneselfed roles, behaviours, activities, and attri provided whenes that be considered apt for work force and wo hands in any company. loosely the terms sexual practice and sex argon not differed and dupen as closely related terms. Sex relates to the biologic and physiological characteristics that nail down work force and wo hands magical spell sex activity refers to furyural varietys sort of than biological ones betwixt hands and wowork force. Male and female argon sex categories temporary hookup feminine and masculine ar sexual activity categories.Moser (1993) says that the differences between wo manpower and work force at bottom the same fellowship and within and between shades atomic number 18 socially and ethnically constructed and suffer be altered over time. These differences are mirrored in social roles, responsibilities, access to resources, social l imitations, opportunities, needs, perceptions, views, etc. Thus, sexual practice does not take only wowork force, scarce considers both women and men and their interdependent relationships and responsibilities.ReversalA reversal so-and-so be taken as counter commute whether the substitute is a positive or negative against the prevailing trend. It is a change from one state to the diametral state turning the situation into an opposite direction or situation.grammatical gender RolesA gender role defines the suppress social and behavioral norms adopted by men and women in a social setting. sex roles vary from culture to culture and traditions and roles can change over time rase in the same cultural settings. Gender roles are cultural and personal to determine the speaking, dressing and communicative styles of males and females within a society. These cognitive frameworks are deeply embedded within the minds of males and females to define the masculine and feminine roles. Var ious socializing agents resembling parents, peers, teachers, television, movies, music, books and religion limit determining the gender roles within a society. Parents are the biggest factor to conciliate the gender roles especially of their young offspring.Parents usually treat male and female infants differently. Expectations for males and females are set in a truly early age. Traditionally, boys are taught how to fix and build things and how to earn for househ aged and girls are taught how to cook, sew and maintain the menage. Children then receive parental and social approval when they conform to gender expectations and adapt themselves to the cultural and conventional roles which are reinforced by the surplus socializing agent, media. In other words, gender roles and the set pass from one generation to the triumphive generation in a society.Linda L. Lindsey and Sandra Christie (n.d.) say that as long as the girl infant is wrapped in the wiretap blanket and the boy inf ant is wrapped in blue blanket, the instruction of gender roles gets resist uped. The pink and blue colours are the origin indications accustomed by the society to distinguish a female from male. As they raise up, the other cultural factors assure the distinction to remain intact. Girls are presumptuousness dolls, doll houses and tiny stoves to pretend run a whole household system small-arm boys are habituated scam tools to construct buildings and toy weapons and tanks to wage wars. In the teen and adult age, girls buy cosmetics and clothes while boys buy sports components and stereo components that is a answer of gender role socialization. ordinarily the gender roles espoused in childhood remain constant in adulthood.Gender Roles in PakistanAccording to a Gilani Research Foundation survey carried aside by Gallup Pakistan (april 27, 2009), majority of the Pakistani males and females prepare distinct roles to play in the society. In the recent years although womens sta nce and role has been uplifted beyond being a housewife, the priority is cool off given to men in politics, education, employment, and related walks of life.Dr. Rakhshinda Parveen (n.d.) expresses that the constitution of Islamic Re common of Pakistan dictates equal rights for men and women. However, men are more(prenominal) equal than women in reality. The reality fates women in set out experimental condition than men in every sphere of life whether its education, food, health care or freedom of choice of instigatener. According to the Human victimisation Report 1999 of UNDP, the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) rank of Pakistan among 185 countries is 100. This rank determines the sanction of women on a country basis. This measurement results in unequal status of women in economic resources, participation in political closing-making and economic decision-making. In spite of the fact that the Holy Quran dictates the equal rights for women wellbeing and reading, women foo l always been the main target of rights violation in the Muslim countries. The common subjugated image of Pakistani women reflects the centuries old patriarchy deeply grow in the sub-continent. Although, emancipation and empowerment has always been documented in the efficacious documents, this has not come to the reality to its full extent yet.The two positive perceptions establish the gender relations in Pakistan that women are inferior to men and that a mans find is placed by the actions of women of his family. In the Muslim societies, women switch off the honour of the family name. To ensure that honour, they are not supposed to dishonor their families, their mobility is circumscribed and they perk up cropions on their behavior and activities and save very limited op view with the opposite sex. Women are constrained to have Purdah (veil) to restrain their testimonial and respectability. Purdah forces physically and symbolically different spheres for men and women by separating their activities. Mostly women spend their time at home to do homely tasks and go out only for serious and approved reasons. Social life primarily revolves around the activities of men in society. In the virtually parts of the country, miss in Islama stinking, Karachi, and wealthier parts of a few other cities, those families are considered unashamed who do not restrict their women. Purdah is practiced according to the family tradition, soma and rural or urban residence plainly men and women do not mix freely anywhere without serious reasosn. The most natural restraints can be base in parts of the North-West edge Province and Balochistan, where women are not allowed to almost leave the house onwards they get married and are not allowed to meet the unrelated men and they cannot contact with their male cousins on their mothers side, because these men are not classed as relatives in a strongly patrilineal society. In the rural areas of Punjab and Sindh, gender rel ations are relaxed because women are equally responsible with men fosr transplanting, rice seedlings, weeding crops, raising chickens and selling eggs. When a family aspires a higher status, it entails stricter purdah as a first social change. (Jone Johnson Lewis, 1994)Some urban women, residing in the close-knit communities in the old cities of Lahore and Rawalpndi, generally wear a burqa(fitted body veil) or a chadar (loosely drapped cotton cloth used as a head covering and body veil) when they leave the homes. They usually live in a multistory (havelis) building constructed to accommodate large extended families. The places where citizenry do not know their neighbours, there are less restrictions on womens mobility.Reversal of Gender RolesIn the in advance(p) times, the old perceptions of a patriarchic society are destabilized that has shifted the earlier unequal power dynamics between males and females and has resulted in the empowerment of women over men. The traditionalist ic gender roles have given a way to totally reversed roles to reserve the rights and emancipation of women. direct a days, wives are earning as much as 20% more than their husbands in the whole world that dictates the changing power dynamics that shows that women have got the power to harness the economic power upsetting the old traditional patriarchal beliefs. Traditionally, the women used to need physical protection and economic stableness provided by men to save their submissiveness. (Kandiyoti,1988). The traditional patriarchal hierarchy has been shatter and resulted in females patronizing their male counterparts in courtship.Modern women have move around more educated and successful, that education and awareness has empowered women resulting in displacing men from their gendered position in society. The emergent trend of educated women out-earning their partners has led to changes in social perceptions and household roles. It has gradually shifted the institutionalized and p rivileged status of males in society. If women become the breadwinners, the domestic order shifts automatically to men because there is not any other option and this can give both men and women a sense of purpose and identity.Alongside the empowerment of women, the emasculation of men redefines the maleness and femininity which has determined the gender activities of society. Men, who have become domestic, have redefined the masculinity by entitling them as suppliers who provides not only economically but also emotionally and logistically. The traditional notion of masculinity of a grow has been limited to begetting protecting and providing for children. The difference between what is masculine and what is feminine is what is determined by the gender roles adopted by both the genders. However, by objective the role of childrearing and household chores, the masculinity of males comes into question that results in confusion in the individual males social identity. As a result, unem ployed husbands preserve their masculinity by claiming that they are still provider if not economically but emotionally as they spend more time with their children than their own fathers. (Liza Mundy, 2011)Deccan forerunner (2012) conducted a research to reputation the personal effects of massive social changes on gender relations. The study has found that men forthwith want babies and commitment, while women are more likely to want independence in their relationships. The study was conducted on over 5,000 American adults and the results revealed that more than half of the single men wanted to have children as compared to just 46 percent of women. The results showed the effects of the growing gender role reversal.History of Gender Roles ReversalThe gender ideologies have changed since 1970s. Women became aware of their rights and emancipation with the emergence of feminist movement in 1970s. In 1960, 19 percent of married women with young children were in the stipendiary labour force (U.S. bureau of the Census 1999). By 1998, the ratio of running(a) women was up to 64 percent. This movement of mothers into the work places in the time duette of 40 years left a profound effect on the attitudes towards the working women in the public and private spheres. The most of the American men approved and expected their wives to be dynamic in working orthogonal homes as the paid labour force. At the same time the provider role ideology continued to have great effects on males and females. The modern men and women are more receptive for women participation in working places than they were in 1970s. The nostalgia for breadwinner/home chafer family can still be found but more in men than women. Although whatever men resent the constricted definition of masculinity that narrows their role as economic providers, they exhaust to their roles as emotional providers among their children. (Teresa Ciabattari, n.d.)A minority of U.S men resisted changes in womens roles that could result as harmful for children and family life. These rapid changes in the roles of women have resulted in the railroad siding gap between mens and womens attitudes. There is a larger gender difference in attitudes than it was 25 years before. (Teresa Ciabattari, n.d.)Reversal of Gender Roles in PakistanGender roles have not been altogether alterationized in Pakistan but have still been treading the way to transform. The contemporary socio-political and economic conditions in Pakistan are restrained in the paradigm of patriarchy and capitalism. The envoys of women rights movements have been shouting out loud the gyration in the gender roles that has resulted in women working in every line of life. Women have come out of their spheres at home to take part in the tread of progress but they have instigated some sign stages yet and have a long way to trek on. (Pak tea leaf House, 2012) The women of Pakistan had confronted great challenges in the early nineties such as ch ange magnitude practical literacy, gaining access to employment opportunities at all levels in the economy. This smashment promoted a change in perception about womens roles in society. Women status in society gained public voices from within and outside the political process.The ordinal century has seen various attempts to bring social and legal reforms to improve the Muslim womens lives in the subcontinent. Islam has played very important role to develop the rights of women since partition.Muslim reformers in the nineteenth century introduced women education to ease some of the restraints on womens activities to ensure womens rights under Islamic law. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan organizes the Mohammedan Educational assembly in the 1870s to endorse modern education for Muslims, and he founded the Muhammadan Anglo- oriental College. Many of the early proponents of education improved the status of women education by initiating cooking and sewing classes initially in a religious framework to advance women knowledge and skills. Still the literacy rate was very low as in 1921, there were only four out of every 1,000 Muslim females were literate. (countrystudies.com, n.d.)Different organizations have been developed for the betterment of womens rights. The Gender and Development (GAD) was introduced as a replacement to the Women in Development (WID) approach. Both organizations aspire to construct the gender equality and tackle the subordination of women in the home and in the public sphere. WID was established in the late-1970s, when it was acknowledged that women were left at the by-line in the process of development and progress of country. WID tended to examine women in closing off while GAD developed the female gender roles maintained by many facets of society, community, economy and not least of all, men. Gad aims to empower women to growing women self esteem, to encourage women organizations. (Jenny Mason, 2009). GAD challenges the social norms which dictate t he women subordinate position to men. The educational gender gap in Pakistan is the result of the specific historical, political and cultural forces. (Jafar, 2002)The movement for independence from the British colonization in 1947 was very significant for women who challenged their traditional, domestic gender roles in the male patriarchal society to actively participate in the fight for common Muslim rights. (Jafar, 2002) During the outcome from independence to the beginning of Zia ul-Haqs rule in 1977, there was a confederacy between the womens movement and the state with a common goal to create a modern Pakistan by equalizing womens rights by granting them political science jobs and increasing educational rights for women. (Jenny Mason, 2009)In 1977, planetary Zial ul-Haq overthrew the government of Zulfiqar Bhuto thinking it to be un-Islamic and aspired for Pakistan to return to Islam. General Zia ul-Haq emphasized the dichotomy of Islam versus the West. This Islamization app roach appealed many anti-colonialists and nationalists who supported patriarchy in the country. They accentuated the symbol of Pakistani women as traditional and a symbol of honour for their male partners. Women were taken as ideological boundary makers between Muslims and the westerly World. (Jafar, 2002) These laws and norms moved women to the private sphere and those who continued to work in the public sphere were visualised as the symbols of moral decay.In spite of Zias efforts to restrict womens liberty in the public sphere, the womens movement in Pakistan continued to develop during his rule. The Womens Action Forum (WAF) was established in 1981, which fought for the policies created by Zia and their promotion gained world-wideistic attention which placed a negative pressure on Zias government which helped to avert the further discrimination of womens rights. After the suspicious death of Zia in 1988, Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of Ali Bhutto, was elected as the first fem ale Prime pastor of Pakistan which was a big step towards the growth of women in Pakistan. (Jenny Mason, 2009)Although today womens rights movements and organizations are active in fighting for gender equality, only few are willing to touch the family traditions and honour. Others tend to remain traditional when it comes to the family honour and name.Islam as well as Pakistans constitution has dictated equal rights for man and muliebrity but the society greatly violates women rights. Despite all these violations, Pakistani women have elevated their status in society with the help of some organizations, savant groups and government. It has happened just because of the increase in awareness of girls education nowadays in Pakistan women are working everywhere as in schools, colleges, universities, offices, factories, hospitals etc. they are students, workers, teachers, doctors, nurses and pilots. Pakistani women have proved to do whatever they are open(a) of despite all the hardshi ps they face in society. These working women are seeding a silent revolution in Pakistan. A silent social revolution has seeped in with rising number of women joining the workforce and moving up the corporate ladder in Pakistan. (Fehmina Arshad, n.d.) They are doing everything from pumping gasoline and serving burgers at McDonalds to running major corporations. Women now hold 78 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly. The cultural norms regarding the women in the workforce have been changed.Despite all the enlightenment and development regarding the rights of women and their being in the workforce, the society has still been captured into the old shackles of conservatism and the working women have to face criticism and condemnation from some for being bold enough to stand up for their rights. Working women are always blamed for being poor mothers and condemned to bring a bad name on the honour of the family in Pakistan. (Fehmina Arshad, n.d.) Despite women taking earning responsi bilities, men do not take any attention about household chores. Women have to bear outside as well as at heart home responsibilities.Pakistani Television Dramas (History)The Pakistan Television Corporation or PTV is Pakistans first national television broadcaster. PTV transmitted its first live program on November 26, 1964, in Lahore. Pakistan started its broadcasting from a small pilot TV locate which was established at Lahore from where first transmission was beamed in Black and gabardine with effect. Television centres were established in Karachi and Rawalpindi/Islamabad in 1967 and in Peshawar and Quetta in 1974. (Rafay Mehmood, 2011) Pakistani media has played a foremost job in programming many unforgettable Pakistan continental dramas which inspired the generations in the past history. PTV started the style of making classic dramas with the help of intellectual writers, puissant direction, and multitalented actors.(Anum saulat, 2010)The decades of 1970s, 1980s and 1990s have seen the tremendous success of dramas and telefilms in the Indian Subcontinent. There was only one TV channel, PTV, at that time which had touched the peak of success in drama making. PTV telecasted many popular dramas like dhoop Kinary, ankahi, tanhayian and dhuan. The whole theory behind telecasting such dramas is to present a well on the watch family drama with a strong script to provide a scavenge environment. The credit of such classic dramas goes to the brilliant story writers like Haseena Moen, Seema Ghazal, Ashfaq Ahmad etc. Their stories mirrored the heart touching issues of society. This was the magnificent time for Pakistani classic dramas which won many national as well as international awards. (Anum Saulat, 2010) The most famous drama serials of this time include Khuda Ki Basti, Unkahi, Tanhaiyaan, Akhri Chatan, Zair Zabar, Aangan Terha, litre Fifty, Studio Dhai (2-1/2), Studio Ponay teenager (2-3/4), Andehra Ujala, Sona Chandi, Uncle Urfi, Taleem-e-Baalighan, Alif Noon, Waaris, Dhoop Kinare, Sunehray Din, Alpha Bravo Charlie, Ana, and block mate serials like Pesh, Dhuwan, Kath Putli, Wafa Ham Nibhaein Gai, Bandhan, Kaghaz Kay Phool, Muqqdas, Bint-e-Adam, Malangi, Sawan, Sheela Bagh, Tinkay, Aisa Bhi Hota Hai bhar, rasta de zindgi, and many others.Many programs were very popular even in India. Indian streets used to become deserted when few of the most popular Pakistani TV dramas were broadcasted. Although Pakistan and India are always at daggers haggard with each other, still the dramas of PTV were very popular and still are analyse in the acting academies in India.In the early 90s, the private produces entered the ground of Pakistani TV for the first time and presented some phenomenal programs such as drama serial Jaal and Kashkol, cooking shows like potluck and sitcoms including family Front and Teen Bata Teen that enthralled the viewers for a long time. Though Indian programs like CID and Ekta Kapoors Hum Panch created a small cu lt of their own but the local channel STN and PTV kept the countrol. Whether the field was drama , sitcom or crime stories, the 1990s gave a tough time to Indian computer programing because of the quality, cultural relevance of the local dramas and because the access to the satellite channel wasnt clear In Pakistan and was considered a luxury. (Rafay Mehmood, 2011) As the sun was setting on PTVs flamboyant era, Family Fronts Sumbal, Nusrat and Bobby Alpha Bravo Charlies Faraz, Kashif and Gulsher Samsung VJs Faisal Qureshi, Jawad Bashir, Ahsan Rahim, Amna Khan and Ahmad Ibrahim Teen Bata Teens Lucy, Johnny and Shaffu became a cult icon and are still remembered for their brilliant performances to make the characters everlasting. (Shiza Nisar, 2010)There came a time starting from 2001 when Indian dramas showed on a channel, Star Plus, were vastly popular that they not only attracted the women but also children started watching them. scarce now Pakistani dramas once again have touc hed the peaks of fame. Indian dramas got famous because of the glamour and family politics shown in them. These dramas affected the Pakistani cultural norms values and traditions so badly that the living styles of the viewers became Indian and they subvert the society as they were so unreal. They showed the unrealistic lives of industrialists, elites and landlords through glamour. In the start Pakistani dramas started copying their style but soon they turned sticker to their own identity with the arrival of new competitive private producers in the industry.With the realization that the Indian dramas had corrupted the society, these drama makers extinguished the Indian elements from the productions to companion their old trends of limited episodes and powerful story line. Many writers started writing many powerful stories for different TV bring like Geo, Hum TV, PTV, ARY digital. (Anam Saulat, 2010) Now a day, expression in media has resulted in a lot of channels and variety of P akistani dramas for the viewers and every channel is now vie hard to provide the audience with the best dramas ever. This competition has aggravated them to make good serials which reflect and mirror the true picture of Pakistani culture and traditions. Because of this sudden revival of Pakistani dramas, the audience loves the new dramas very much. (Shiza Nisar, 2010)The modern dramas that have gained popularity are meri zaat zarraye be-nishan Ainee ki aygi barat series on Geo and , nur pur ki ranee malaal wasal nur bano ,qaide e tanhai, ,humsafar and many others on Hum TV. These dramas are realistic with powerful direction and script. They mirror the societal issues that actually exist in the society. Moreover, dramas like wasal, ishk junoon deewangi doraha and malaal focus on the problems that are faced in a trades union because of modernity and reversal of gender roles. These problems do prevail these days. The reason wherefore the ratio of divorces has increased is well dep icted in these dramas. People should be well aware of the bitter realities that prevail in society. (Anum Saulat, 2010)Reversal of Gender Roles in Pakistani DramasThe electronic media in Pakistan has become an avenue for women to be seen shoulder-to-shoulder with men where they can work as diligently as they can to be an active part of the society. However, the role of women in our media seems to be heading in a direction where only their looks and attractiveness can be rewarded. (Zirgham Nabi Afridi, 2010)Most of these dramas revolve around the family, especially women, often as independent individuals and most often as mothers, sisters and wives. The majority of Pakistani dramas today are a strange mix of progress and retreat. Some of the serials hold a few liberal, progressive and gender-sensitive messages, most of them emphasize patriarchal values existed in society. The Pakistani dramas reflect two main streams to depict the gender roles. One is to portray women as dependent on their male partners in a male patriarchal society. Women are shown being brutalized by men, slapped, vanquish up, disgraced and ill-treated and men are depicted as the decision makers of the family, who simply dictate women what to do and what not to do. The other stream is to show the women indulged in working shoulder to shoulder with men to be an active participant in the progress of society. They are well aware of their rights and can stand for their liberties if ill-treated but the working women are also envisioned negatively who are the main source for a home breakup. It is rather difficult for the general viewing public to understand the contradictory messages double-dealing within the modern day drama. Working women are depicted as strong and independent, yet also negatively portrayed as dodgy (In Durr-e-Shawar the male lead, Haider, laments the fact that his wife, Shandana, is a working woman). (Tasneem Ahmar, 2012)Television dramas can be considered as important tool to propagate gender equality. The dramas depicting equality of gender roles do not expose the overt victimization of women in them. Female characters in these serial are strong, independent and intelligent. How women are portrayed on TV is linked to the prevalent trends set by the attention of entertainment television channels. The women who have reached the top in management struggle to change the prevailing trends. They act like new trend setters. sultana Siddiqui, for example, established a policy that no woman will be slapped in the dramas aired on the TV channel she heads. Moneeza Hashmi, as managing coach of the state-run television in Lahore, supported extensive programming intended to guaranty the womens rights and gender equality. After she left, the policy unfortunately seems to have disappeared. (Bushra S, 2012)