Women Education in Sindh: A Comparative Study on Factors Exploring Gender Inequality and Women Educational Challenges in Rural and Urban Sindh

Ziauddin Ziauddin; Imtiaz Ali  Mangi

Authors

Ziauddin (Corresponding Author) Lecturer Sukkur IBA University Author
Imtiaz Ali Mangi MPhil Scholar, Department of Psychology, University of Karachi. Author

Keywords:

Women’s education, urban-rural disparity, gender equity

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate whether cultural, economic, and infrastructural barrier differences exist between education of women in urban and rural Sindh, Pakistan. Quantitative data were collected from 500 participants using the cross-sectional survey and over 50 participants who were interviewed for generating qualitative data. Findings reveal significant differences: mostly the urban respondents regarded women education as necessary for social and economic development aimed at better infrastructure, cultural tolerance and economic facilities. On the other end of the scale the rural respondents had a lower perception towards the priority given to women’s education due to cultural and social gender inequality, limited resources for education and dilapidated schools as well as poor infrastructure. The discussion reveals that cultural intermediaries, limited funds, and practical conditions affect the abilities of rural women to receive proper education. By comparing its results with regional and global research, the study insists on the need for such intervention measures as awareness campaigns, economic incentives, and infrastructural work that would be urgently needed in rural Sindh area. This study advances the literature on gender parity in education and offers policy directions for agents of change desiring to achieve contextualized and sustainable education transformation in Sindh province.

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