Abstract
The paper endeavours to engage with development literature grounded in sociology and anthropology in an effort to highlight the conceptual shortcomings of development debate that sees status of women narrowly defined in terms of certain measureable indicators. It builds around the central theme that based on such universalistic assumptions, policies targeting the uplift of women’s status in the developing countries have not achieved the desired results. In Pakistan’s case, such failure is generally laid at the door of religious traditionalism and such conservatism is seen as the biggest hurdle in the path of women’s development. The paper uses historical and philosophical methodologies to answer two central questions posited by it in terms of the adequacy of the criterion of status measurement as well as the role of religion in the status of women. Within sociology it is well known that the identification and definition of problem has a bearing upon its solution. The paper deconstructs the ‘definition of the problem of women’s low status’ within the development discourse and establishes that status as is currently defined by development agencies does not reflect the particularities of Pakistani women’s situation. It also concludes that as opposed to religious traditionalism, cultural imperatives, govern women’s roles and statuses. It therefore, challenges the dominant perspectives of women development as universalistic and of minimal relevance to Pakistani women calling for extensive research on the lives of Pakistani women that can be used as the basis for development interventions.
Keyword(s)
Literature, Anthropology, Assumptions, Methodologies, Universalistic, Perspectives