ERIC ED404059: Literacy for Women and Their Participation in the Labour Force in Pakistan.

7 Pages·1996·0.14 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
RC 020 890
ED 404 059
Panhwar, Farzana
AUTHOR
Literacy for Women and Their Participation in the
TITLE
Labour Force in Pakistan.
Sindh Rural Women's Uplift Group, Hyderabad
INSTITUTION
(Pakistan).
PUB DATE
[96]
NOTE
6p.
Viewpoints
Descriptive (141)
Reports
PUB TYPE
(Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.)
(120)
MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Access to Education; Agricultural Laborers; Distance
DESCRIPTORS
Education; *Educational Needs; Elementary Secondary
Education; Employed Women; *Equal Education; Foreign
Countries; Illiteracy; Relevance (Education); Rural
Areas; *Rural Women; Sex Discrimination; *Social
Attitudes; Underachievement; *Womens Education
*Pakistan; Social Barriers
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
In rural Pakistan, agricultural land is owned by men
and they use family labor, including women. Women usually transact no
cash from cradle to grave. There is no social support for high
achievement in their lives. The illiteracy rate among women is very
high, especially in rural areas, where only 7.3 percent of women are
literate. Poor underachieving women with only basic education show
poor linguistic ability, feelings of rejection, emotional insecurity,
poor motivation, and difficulty in adjustment and absorption in
society. Some studies report girls have a higher level of achievement
motivation than boys but lack opportunities. Sindh Rural Women's
Uplift Group engaged 10-15 women on a farm, paid them the same
salaries as men, and gave them similar jobs to perform. After 2
years, results show that the women's output exceeded the men's, and
the life pattern of the women has changed. Initially, men took their
salaries, but the women asserted themselves and are now better
clothed and want to send their children to school. The men are
becoming more considerate. The educational system needs to be
reshaped to respond to rapidly changing socioeconomic and cultural
demands, with emphasis on equal education, remedial education, and
vocational education. Distance education is a useful way to address
the facts that women are kept in seclusion within the boundary walls
of the home, coeducation is not allowed, educational facilities are
limited in rural areas, and free time is limited. (TD)
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4
Literacy For Women and Their Participation
in the Labour Force in Pakistan
Mrs. Farzana Panhwar
Sindh Rural Women's Uplift Group
"PERMISSION TO
REPRODUCE THIS
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
MATERIAL HAS BEEN
'Office or Educational Research and Improvement
GRANTED BY
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
his document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it
0 Minor changes have been made to improve
reproduction quality.
TO THE EDUCATIONAL
RESOURCES
Points of view or opinions stated in this docu-
ment do not necessarily represent official
INFORMATION CENTER
(ERIC)."
OERI position or policy.
BEST COPY AVAELABLE,
PARTICIPATION IN TEE LABOUR FORCE
'LITERACY FOR WOMEN AND THEIR
IN PAKISTAN
By
Mrs. Farzana Panhwar
Sindh Rural Women's Uplift Group
(Sindh) Pakistan
157-C, Unit No.2, Latifabad, Hyderabad
AND (92221) 860410
Fax: [phone] & 572231 & 5874451
Introduction.
Southern part of Pakistan and extends
The Province of Sindh lies in the
66°-42 to 71°-10 E, with an area of approximately
from 23°-35 to 28°-30 and
55,000
of which about 5.5 million hectors or
kilometres,
square
143,000
population of Sindh as of toady
kilometresareirrigatedfrom the river Indus. The
is about 30 millions.
10 years was literate, but the overall
In 1981, 26.2% of population above
16.0% for female, and gender difference
male literacy was 35.1% as compared to
Many
to a low 7.3% for rural women.
varied from a high of 53.3% for urban men
education of their female children but
people in rural areas want to continue
education.
the girls leave their home for
it is not socially accepted that
(4-5 years
drops sharply after primary level
The female enrollment in schools
of secondary
too mostly during the early years
at school) and in urban areas
sharply after
14-16),
10 years schooling at age of
total of
education
(a
completion of secondary school, higher
primary level, and subsequently after
registered in
Only one of every seven students
rate at post-secondary level.
with
students from the school are link
the 20 is a women. The drop-out of
back-ground of the parents. Social
social, cultural, economic and educational
of
tend to go together, low levels
inequalities and educational inequalities
disparities as between urban population
educational attainment go with sharp
and women.
and rural population and as between men
decide
the male head of the family to
Women is always under pressure of
employment.
her education level, training and
help women by engaging 10 to 15
Sindh Rural Women Uplift Group tried to
paid the
of women Farm Supervisors,
of them on the farm under the guidance
Their out put was
them similar jobs to perform.
same salaries as men and gave
and monthly out put
parties knew that daily, weekly
more than men, when both
the best
being compared. These women were
of two groups of men and women were
leaves, twigs, bark
mulch, collecting fallen
in case of mowing grasses for
and etc.
2 years,
sustainable agriculture in the past
Their full time employment in
12 women
life pattern of a group
of
to men has changed the
in preference
and
their daughters, dauthger-in-laws
consisting of one couple of parents,
life pattern of
of operations house-hold
nieces. In two years since starting
all the salaries
the beginning men took away
these families has changed. In
CD.
better clothed
asserted and now they are
of women but gradually women have
the school. Man's attitude
they will send their children to
that
and say
CO
what and are a little
house has changed some
toward the social set-up in the
CD
bring further changes.
more considerate, but time may
functions as good
CNI
perform the following
Women in Pakistan agriculture, can
CZ)
as men:
and bare root plants.
1) Transplanting of vegetables, rice,
4)
un-wanted
removal of weeds and
2) Intercultivation of vegetable for
growth.
3
Page-2
berries of all types,
3) Picking of cotton, small fruits, vegetables,
harvesting of wheat, rice and other crops.
which require squating
4) They however excel men in all those operations
simultaneously.
carry-out operations near the ground and keep moving
to
angle with thigh
This is because the pelvic bone of females has different
This involves mowing
bone and it makes women's movements easy in that posture.
of grass, intercultivation of weeds or picking of fruits.
astonishing.
We made a beginning two years ago and the results are
is owned by men and they
In the rural areas of Pakistan, agriculture land
producing crops. Women are not paid but
use family labour including women for
dowery by father at time of marriage, ornaments
are fed, clothed and provided
usually transact no cash
by husband and when widowed shelter by sons. They
mud covered graves are
from cradle to grave and not mourned as men are. Their
families educate
levelled up by occasional rain run off. In recent years some
do and educated families
them to so that chances of their marriage in well to
are ensured.
and still many families
In Pakistan the women were kept under seclusion
the boundary walls of the
do not like that their female members go out-side
useful alternative to
In such cases the distance education is a very
home.
in knowledge.
such families who want their female to upto-date
the urban areas.
In rural areas, illiteracy rate is very high as compare to
other factors equally
In order to improve the situation, we must considered
social taboos,
responsible for illiteracy e.g poverty, illiteracy of parents,
nonavailability of adequate educational facilities.
facilities are limited, although
In the rural areas of Sindh, the education
far away from the
are
they
but
exist,
do
institutions
educational
some
is not possible for the
villages, and due to lack of road and transport, it
institutes. In this case
rural people to reach and benefit by such educational
gain the knowledge.
the distance education is an excellent facility to
social change and used as an
Education bring an instrument for bringing
society.
agent to change the status of women in the
men and this gap
Literacy among women is much lower than literacy among
in the level of education. For better
goes on increasing with the increase
all,
for
opportunities
results, we must lay emphasis on equal educational
education brings better growth
without any discrimination, because equality in
The problem of drop-outs
and development of the family and nation as a whole.
environmental and social barriers.
among rural women seems to be due to
be married soon, after
In most of the cases female students are expected to
she is required to perform'houie
they receive some basic education, because
for study resulting into low
hold activities and does not get enough time
either become
therefore
students
The
female
examination.
the
in
grades
They usually develop low
underachievers or show poor academic achievement.
the development of
reinforcement for
self-concept, which acts as negative
under-achieving girls show low academic
their general motivational level. The
achieving girls.
level, poor motivation as compare to high
in such a way that the accumulated
The education facilities will be planned
in the past could be neutralised.
distortion regarding the status of women
planning considering equality for
We have to put more emphasis on education
under-achievement, and
factors related to academic
women, and try to find-out
results.
remedial education planning for better
poor motivation and introduce
4
Page-3
can easily
that after getting one
be planned in a manner
The education must
activities,
income-generation
start
to
helps
Education
employment.
get
situation.
increase marketing
and industry and
promotion of trade
society for girls
social norms in the
expectations and
achievement in
The rural cultural
back-up for high
is no social
different and there
will effect
are very
and cultural impact,
socio-economic status
their life. Sex, race,
of the students e.g:
on achievement
pattern.
Total adjustment
Language ability.
Study habits.
Personality buildup.
shows
only basic education
background women with
socio-economic
such women's show
Poor
in the environment,
and absorption
have
difficulty in adjustment
achievement they must
develop high
ability. In order to
Linguistic
poor linguistic
and good in reading.
knowledge of spelling
personality
command on vocabularly,
unhealthy
and
motivation
poor
of
case
main
the
underachievement. The
is
skills
achievement towards
slow academic
development leads to
study habits and
higherachievers have poor
to the
underachievers as compare
shows good habits,
While higherachievers
their achievement.
show influence in
grade in their study.
and achieve high
being
resulting into not
walk of life
problems in every
the
Underachievers face
contrary,
the
On
achievement.
academic
better
qachieve
adjusted resulting
to
able
socially better
problems and are
highachievers face less
rejection,
show feelings of
achievement. Underachievers,
The
into good academic
insecurity.
emotional
and
their behaviour
in
guilt
reflect
mind,
which adversely
disturbed
number of problems,
a greater
boys
underachievers faces
introvert than the
girl are more
Like underachiever
impulsive
underachieves are more
in their achievement.
girls. The female
is
anxiety
the higherachieving
The
and
underachiever.
male
the
than
emotional
anxious than boys.
and
reactionary
girls were more
achieving and the
negatively related to
achievement motivation
higher level of
that girls have
Some studies report
opportunities lack.
than boys but
Conclusion.
study habits,
linguistic ability,
girls shows, poorer,
self-concept, feelings
The underachieving
motivation,
reading habits,
family
vocabulary,
schools,
in
spelling,
problems
greater
face
mostly
and
insecurity
of
walks of life.
and all other
recriation, economic
study habit,
linguistic ability,
girls, shows better,
self-
The higherachieving
spellings vocabulary,
factors, better
personality-related
motivation,
adjusted than others.
socially better
concept, and are
the
of
revitalization
and
reshaping
and
expansion
have
overcome we
educational
To
Rapid
education.
of
the problems
education system are
following suggestions:
educate girls and
view points, to
economic and social
future,
make in the
From the cultural,
* *
country can
investment that a
of the best
all of the human
women is one
draw more fully on
the country to
because it enables
national development.
resources for
of innovations
and promotion
planning, management
training,
changing socio-
the
* *
Improve
respond to rapidly
system to
entire education
resource
to enable the
increasing
of
context
a
in
demands
cultural
and
economic
constraints.
Page-4
in contribution to
helps
development
technological
and
scientific
** The
development.
economic and cultural
educational, social,
scientific
developed for inter-linking
materials have been
** The method and
application in
towards practical
studetns
and,
technical education
and
life.
educational
of
re-planning
training,
cover
system must
education
** The
economic
to the social and
for greater relevance
structures and content
work.
education and productive
inter-linking of
and through the
goals,
change. The
bring a lot of social
distance education can
In Pakistan the
*
mostly be females:
main beneficiaries can
jobs and if
of people do the
of Pakistan, most
**In rural and urban areas
hours free.
they hardly get 2-3
in gaining knowledge,
they are interested
institute,
and regular educational
admission in formal
If they go and get
areleftwithonly
in transport and
spend atleast one hour
it means they have to
will prove to
the distance education
study. In such situation
an hour to
strain.
education with less
acquire the required
be very helpful to
which
co-education system,
universities have
almost all the
** In Pakistan
families do not allow
students, as their
of many female
come in the way
limit their
result, they are forced to
co-education and as a
them to go for
in gaining
Education, will help
and carrer, Distance
higher qualification
such cases.
higher education in
6
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Literacy for Women and Their Participation in the Labour Force in Pakistan
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Farzana Panhwar / President
\I-3
ov&4\
G
c:)Q\
please
-\;:c5.Yz-
Organizatio
ess:
Telephone:
(92221)867107TAY:(92221) 860410
and (9221) 5830826
The Sindh Rural Women's Uplift Group
and 862570
EddlikAalrkess:
Date:
16.09.1996.
FAX: (9221)
5874451
572231
(9221)
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(over)
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