Historical Analysis of Women Empowerment in Pakistan 1947-2005
Keywords:
Women Empowerment, Gender Equality, Legal Reforms, Family Laws Ordinance, Hudood Ordinances, Feminist ActivismAbstract
The paper seeks the historical evolution of the women’s empowerment in Pakistan from 1947 to 2005, within the context of the complex relationship among political regimes, legal amendments (being made from time to time) and socio-cultural forces. It examines how distinct eras — from the progressive ambitions of the early post-independence years to the repressive policies of military rule — influenced the status and rights of women in the country. ‘Moments’, the Family Laws Ordinance of 1961, the Hudood Ordinances during General Zia-ul-Haq’s era, the emergence of feminist movements like the Women’s Action Forum are critically evaluated as potential to women’s legal and social empowerment. Democratic leadership, especially during the times of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, is also scrutinized to determine the level of political will towards gender parity. The study is qualitative and historical, resting on archival data, policy reports as well as civil society narratives to inquire into shifts in the women’s rights terrain. By locating the empowerment of women within the context of broader political and social change in Pakistan, this paper seeks to develop a nuanced appreciation of the advances, retreats, and long-standing obstacles shaping the road to gender equality in the country over the years covered by the book.
Downloads
References
Azeem, M. (2020). Islam, Pakistan and women leadership: A case study of Benazir Bhutto. Journal of Politics and International Studies, 6(02), 29-41.
Azeem, M., Rifat, F., Sarfaraz, A., & Khan, S. O. (2020). Studies in Female Leadership in Pakistan: Benazir Bhutto as Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988-90). Studies in Female Leadership in Pakistan: Benazir Bhutto: JRSP, 57(4). https://doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U7482
Chawla, M. I., & Riaz-ul-Huda, A. (2015). Islamization in Pakistan: An overview. Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan, 52(1).
Fleschenberg, A. (2010). Military Rule, Religious Fundamentalism, women’s empowerment and feminism in Pakistan. Women's movements in Asia: Feminisms and transnational activism, 166.
Gul, S., & Farooq, M. (2020). Women’s Political Empowerment: A Historical Overview in Pakistan. Journal of Languages, Culture and Civilization, 2(1), 59-71.
Ikram, M., & Kiran, N. (2022). Legislation on Women Issues: Musharraf Regime. SADIQ Journal of Pakistan Studies, 2(1).
Imran, F. I., & Shahzad, A. (2019). Political Empowerment of Women in Pakistan: Performance of Female Parliamentarians in Punjab Assembly (Case Study of Lahore District: 2002-2007). J. Pol. Stud., 26, 135.
Khalid, J., Othman, N., & Zakaria, W. N. W. (2023). Women development related policies in Pakistan: A preliminary gap analysis. Journal of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, 9(1), 39-44. Doi: https://doi.org/10.11113/jostip.v9n1.132
Khan, A., & Tobawal, M. U. (2017). Constitutional Development in Pakistan since 1947 till 1956. Pakistan Study Centre, 5(1), 238-344.
Khan, M. M. A., Hussain, M., Khan, S. N., & Aslam, S. I. (2024). Legal Protection of Women Rights: An Inquisitive Study into Their Struggle during the Ayub and Zia Regimes. Journal of Arts and Linguistics Studies, 2(2), 919-929.
Khan, S. (2013). Women and state laws and policies in Pakistan: The early phase, 1947-77. Proceedings of the Indian History Congress,
Murshed, S. I. (2010). The hudood ordinances of Pakistan and the denial of justice. The Denial of justice Liaquat Ali Khan-an unheralded sultan M Hali 132 founding father of Pakistan 1971-Lessons Et Cetera Iqbal Ahmad Khan 170 Essays, 108.
Noareen, S., & Naz, A. (2021). Women’s Emancipation during Musharraf Era (1999-2008). Global Political Review, VI. http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2021(VI-I).15
Qadri, S., Gilani, S., & Khurram, P. (2018). An Analysis of Women Empowerment in Pakistan with Reference to Musharraf’s Regime. Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies, 17(1), 299-316.
Qadri, S., & Umer, N. (2015). Women empowerment and political democratization in Pakistan with reference to general Parvez Musharraf regime. Public Policy and Administration Research, 5(10), 111-115.
Shaheed, F. (2010). The women’s movement in Pakistan: challenges and achievements. Women’s Movements in the Global Era, Boulder, 1-26.
Tabassum, D. (2016). Women in Pakistan. Higher Education Commission Pakistan. http://prr. hec. gov. pk/jspui/handle/123456789/28.
Weiss, A. M. (1985). Women in Pakistan: implications of the current program of islamization. Citeseer.
Weiss, A. M. (1990). Benazir Bhutto and the future of women in Pakistan. Asian Survey, 30(5), 433-445. https://doi.org/10.2307/2644837
Willmer, D. (1996). Women as participants in the Pakistan movement: Modernization and the promise of a moral state. Modern Asian Studies, 30(3), 573-590. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0026749X00016607
Zaheer, S., & Chawla, M. I. (2023). The Iron Lady: Assessing the Fatima Jinnah’s Role against Ayub Khan’s Dictatorship. Annals of Human and Social Sciences, 4(1), 307-316.
Zia, A. S. (2013). Faith-based politics, enlightened moderation and the Pakistani women’s movement. Journal of International Women's Studies, 11(1), 225-245.
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Sadaf Ashiq, Dr. Zahid Yaseen (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
