Barriers to Female Education from Diverse Perspectives: A Case Study of Rural Areas of Pakistan

Abstract

This study, therefore, identifies and examines the barriers to female education in the rural areas of Pakistan from diverse perspectives as perceived by local community resided in rural areas of district Multan and Khanewal. Furthermore, this study examines differences between the perceptions of male and female community about the barriers to female education in rural areas. This study used case study, descriptive, and survey research designs. This study was delimited to the two adjacent blocks, situated in the rural areas of two districts. These two adjacent rural blocks, one each from district Multan and Khanewal, were first selected as cases using purposive sampling technique. Total of 356 adult male and adult female residents from two selected rural blocks were selected as a sample, using purpose and simple random sampling techniques. For collection of data, both questionnaire and the semi-structured interviews were used as tools. A five-point Likert scale questionnaire, comprising 23 statements, was developed and administered. For the analysis of data, both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The results found that the participants perceive that the lack of awareness and cost of education are the topmost barriers to female education, followed by parents' gender-based discrimination towards females, and access to education and quality of education as barriers to a higher extent. The participants perceive social, cultural, and political factors as the least barriers of the all to female education, but that also to a good degree.