IMPEDIMENTS IN WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN GILGIT-BALTISTAN

Abstract

The current research examines the Impediments in Women Empowerment in Gilgit Baltistan. Despite higher education among females, still, a large number of women are facing numerous impediments, which are a hindrance in their self-empowerment in Gilgit-Baltistan. The objective of the study was to know the impediments in women’s empowerment in Gilgit-Baltistan. The Intersectional Theory was applied, which stated that women in society face a variety of impediments based on their race, gender, sex, geographical location, socio-demographic background, and educational level. The quantitative research approach was selected, and the universe was the District Gilgit, which is the capital city of Gilgit-Baltistan. The close-ended structured questionnaires were designed and interviewed women from the different locations/clusters of Gilgit, both rural and urban regions which were divided before the MICS-2017 by Gilgit-Baltistan Govt. Whereas, respondents were selected through a simple random sampling from the different selected clusters. The data were analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Both descriptive statistics, i.e. percentages and frequencies and inferential statistics which is a bivariate correlation. The findings of the study showed the women in District Gilgit have access to modern education, healthcare and their involvement in the domestic level decisions makings. Despite higher education and domestic empowerment, women are still facing numerous issues, such as harassments at university, workplaces, and markets. Moreover, women have a lack of political participation and decision-making process at the societal level. There is not any separate educational institute for women which provides higher education. Furthermore, women have no separate court, where they can solve their problems and issues. Also, women are facing economic pressures, where the unemployment rate is also higher among females. Additionally, women have identified that the religion, male dominant society, male dominancy in politics, conservative social structure, lack of inheritance rights, the early marriages and violence against women are the major impediments in women’ empowerment in the Gilgit-Baltistan. The results of the inferential statistics also stated that there is a correlation between the domestic level impediments with the social level impediments and both have a statistically strong correlation with the household level empowerment and social level empowerment in District Gilgit. The research concluded with some recommendations, such as to establish separate educational institutions for women, there must be a separate court for women, gives them inheritances right, ensured their political participation. Moreover, gives them some special quota in jobs and politics. Furthermore, discourage the early marriages, promote NGOs, and encouraged to work in the region and Govt need to enhance and invest on the women related development projects, which ensure the women’s empowerment in the region of Gilgit-Baltistan. Keywords: Women’s Empowerment, Impediment, Gilgit-Baltistan, SPSS, NGOs. Govt, Development Projects.