International Journal of Research and Development in Social Sciences (IJRDS)

Vol. 01. Issue. 01, No. 02 Acceptance Date: July 18, 2015
ISSN: 2415-217X (Online) Publication Date: August 01, 2015
ISSN: 2415-2161 (Print) Page No. 13-22
www.ijrds.com

Factors Affecting Women Participation in Higher Education in

Pakistan
S yed Ift ikhar Hussain S hah 1
Naeem Akhtar 2
Wa heed Asghar 3

Abstract

Pakistan is a developing country having a population of approximately 180 million.

Almost half of the population comprises of females. It is much unfortunate that a majority of
the female population neither went for formal educational institute nor intends to get higher
education. The literacy rate in our country is low amongst the female vis-à-vis male
population. Majority of female population due to lack of education, believes in conservative
traditions. Gender imbalance is quite visible in the institutes of Higher Education in the
country.
This paper is much interesting for the reason that discussion has been made on a very
important issue. No doubt no consolidated data or relevant information was available with a
particular department as not much research has been done in this field. After hectic efforts
some facts and figures and details were obtained from the various resources. This paper
contains numerous factors which affect women participation in higher education in Pakistan.
These include social, political and economic factors. After compilation of the data and
consolidation of information, Time series analysis was carried out by the researchers. The
female population should feel encouraged to come forward and share in the progress and
development of the country by getting higher education and this would only be happened if
attitudinal changes in the society be promoted.
Subsequent to thorough and threadbare research the variables like the marriages of
females, religious factors, cultural factors, employment trends, poverty, and dependency have
been identified as major factors affecting women participation in higher education in
Pakistan. This paper, we believe is a remarkable attempt which will be helpful to the future
researchers who are interested in this field.
Key Words: Factors, Women, Participation, Higher Education

1
Director Research and Development, Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA)
Correspondence Email: dri ft i kh ars ye d @yah oo. co m
2
Deputy National Leader NVQF & HRD
3
Director Apprenticeship Training
 International Journal of Research and Development in Social Sciences
Vol. 01, Issue. 01, No. 02

Introduction
Pakistan is one of the few countries having a vast majority of people between the ages
of twenty to thirty in the overall population. This age group is a good asset which becomes
more useful after proper education especially higher education. This asset is very important
for economic development. During the preceding so many years, low attention has ever been
paid to ensure the participation of the female population in the economic progress while on
the other hand our society, like other developing countries, being male dominated,
discourages the ladies to compete with the males in various fields including higher education.
It can be confidently said that without the participation of fifty percent of the
population no country can achieve the desired economic development. It’s very heartening to
note that during almost two decades the government has taken various initiatives for the
welfare of women. Now over and above the number of female doctors and teachers, we can
find female pilots as well as female army officers in Pakistan. Participation of females into
Higher Education can be of great use; they can add to our GDP, per capita income will rise
and thus the standard of living will improve of our country. Luckily the ladies are also now
more aware of their rights and it is no easier to make them victim of any excess. I have
selected this subject since a lot is required to be done in this sector and the community at
large, needs to be sensitized about the gravity of the issue and the inequalities between men
and women should be eradicated because females are equally talented and intelligent as men.
They are also country’s great human asset and their capabilities and talents should also be
explored and utilized. Females are an integral part of our society and in my research, I will
try to figure out the factors that causes an increase or decrease in female participation in
higher education.
Pakistan at the moment is one of the top thickly populated countries, having about
170 million populations. Unfortunately the literacy rate in our country is low amongst the
female vis-à-vis male population. Major reason of the female illiteracy is lack of educational
opportunities & believes in conservative traditions. About almost two decades ago the
participation of females was almost negligible and even disliked in Higher Education
Institutions. Either the parents or the husband of the lady would never allow a female to leave
the house for any type of studies but due to economic factor the dependence on one earning
hand declined with the passage of time. At the same time the government paid special
attention for provision of jobs to females by fixing five percent quota in the public sector
organizations for them. Furthermore the working condition in the offices as well as work
places was also made cordial and facilitative. It has also been noted through various surveys
that female population in our country is much ahead in education sector than male
population. Even in the competitive examination the ladies are making their names and
getting some top positions. Therefore the trends of females in the higher education promoted
as a result, in last two decades, but still there is a long way which we have to travel.
At the moment there is hardly any discipline of education where ladies have not
entered and it is believed that in the service sector the gender balance would be visible. There
is acceptability of female in the society and even in the lowly educated families, it is no more
considered awkward. People know the importance of the females in the higher education and
also about the contributions they can make to the economy.

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Study Objectives
The objectives of the study are as follows:
 To test the proposition that the marriages of females have a significant/insignificant
relationship with female participation in Higher Education.

 To test the proposition that the religious factor has a significant / insignificant
relationship with female participation in Higher Education

 To test the proposition that the cultural factor has a significant / insignificant
relationship with female participation in Higher Education

 To test the proposition that the employment trends has a significant / insignificant
relationship with female participation in Higher Education

 To test the proposition that the poverty has a significant / insignificant relationship
with female participation in Higher Education

Literature Review

Pakistan is among the most densely populated countries of the world. Currently, over
180 million people reside here making it the 6th most populous country of the world. People
belonging to various casts, culture and color can be found. The overall literacy rate has
always been a huge concern here.
Pakistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world and according to the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), it is 55 per cent
and Pakistan stands at 160th in total countries of the world.
Many schools and colleges are entering the education industry especially in various
big cities of Pakistan but those living in rural areas are on a greater loss. Even if children
want to study, they can’t, due to lack of resources or the family pressure. The main reason for
families not allowing their children especially girls to study is again illiteracy.
Pakistan is almost at the lowest in the world ranking in the education of women and
opportunity for women in higher Education. In the Global Gender Gap Report of the World
Economic Forum (WEF), Pakistan occupied the 126 th position among 128 countries. The
women development indicators are very weak although Pakistan is doing well on the Political
Empowerment of Women, where it ranked at 43rd among 128th countries. It is crucial for
Pakistan to reflect achievements made in the last few years to improve Pakistan’s ranking on
the Global Gender Gap Report of the WEF. Gender disparity can be seen, for example,
through the lens of the gender-related development index (GDI) and the gender
empowerment measurement (GEM), both introduced in the 1995 UNDP Human
Development Report. Pakistan’s GDI ranking is 120th out of 146 countries whilst its GEM
ranking is 92nd out of 94 countries. The data collected from various sources present the
following picture;

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http://www.archivistonline.pk/literacy-rate-in-pakistan/
Literacy rates Female 35% Male 56%
 Gross primary enrolment: Female 64% Male 80%
 Enrolment in Higher Education: Female 15% Male 50%
 Participation in Higher Education: Female 11.39% Male 69.1%
 Maternal mortality: 340 per 100,000 live births
 Earned income share: Female 20% Male 80%
 Seats in Parliament: Females 17.7%
 Top administrative/managerial jobs Females 4%
The variation in female participation in Higher Education between provinces and
districts are indicative of regional disparities in both the level of economic growth as well as
in terms of health, education and the quality of life. There is considerable variation across
provinces with respect to literacy rates which vary from 51% in Sindh to 36% in the
Baluchistan. Similarly the primary enrolment rate varies from 75% in the Punjab, to 64% in
Baluchistan. The provincial female participation in higher education varies from the highest
in the Punjab, to the lowest in Baluchistan. Islamabad (a federally administered territory), is
Pakistan’s capital city, and has a greater weight of affluent citizens in its population with a far
better social infrastructure than in any province of Pakistan. It is not surprising therefore that
the female participation in higher education is higher than that of any of the province in the
country.
Problem Statement
The main purpose of this study was to examine the barriers of women’s participation
in higher education institutes in the light of indicators of socio-cultural and economic
development in Pakistan. This research on role of women in economic development provides
information about the importance of women participation in higher education institutions of
Pakistan.

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Research Methodology
The methodology is mainly descriptive in strategy; data was collected mainly through-
secondary sources. Following were the main variables of the study.
 The Marriages of females

 Religious Factor

 Employment Trend

 Cultural Factor

 Poverty
The Multiple Regressions Analysis (MRA) method was chosen to apply on the data
collected in the form of time series starting from 2000s to 2010. Three different models were
formed as a result of this analysis to check the hypothesizes developed for this study.
Research Hypothesis
1. Marriage of females = β1 = δy / δx1
H0= to test the hypothesis that marriages of females has insignificant relationship with
female participation in Higher Education (H0: =0)
H1=to test the hypothesis that marriages of females has significant relationship with female
participation in Higher Education (H1:  ≠0)
2. Religious factor = β2 = δy / δx2
H0= to test the hypothesis that the religious factor as insignificant relationship with female
participation in Higher Education (H0: =0)
H1=to test the hypothesis that the religious factor has significant relationship with female
participation in Higher Education (H1:  ≠0)
3. Employment trend = β3 = δy / δx3
H0= to test the hypothesis that employment trend has insignificant relationship with female
participation in Higher Education (H0: =0)
H1=to test the hypothesis that employment trend has significant relationship with female
participation in Higher Education (H1:  ≠0)
4. Cultural factors = β4 = δy / δx4
H0= to test the hypothesis that the cultural factor has insignificant relationship with female
participation in Higher Education (H0: =0)
H1=to test the hypothesis that the cultural factor has significant relationship with female
participation in Higher Education (H1:  ≠0)
5. Poverty = β5 = δy / δx5
H0= to test the hypothesis that the poverty has insignificant relationship with female
participation in Higher Education (H0: =0)
H1=to test the hypothesis that the poverty has significant relationship with female
participation in Higher Education (H1:  ≠0)
Y = β0+ β1x1+ β2x2+ β3x3+ β4x4+ β5x5

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Results and Analysis of findings of Model

Multiple regression analysis - (Model)
Dependent variable: factors affecting female participation in Higher Education Institutes
Parameter estimate standard error t statistic p-value
CONSTANT -5.87998 4.41199 -1.33252 0.1963
Marriages of females 1.68685 0.262831 6.41802 0.0000
Religious factors 1.09163 6.27608 0.173934 0.8635
Employment trends -7.5931 1.98662 -3.82212 0.0009
Cultural factors -0.320609 0.123868 -2.58831 0.0168
Poverty 0.0868552 0.0298841 2.90567 0.0082

Analysis of variance
Source Sum of squares Df Mean square F-ratio
P-value
Model 111.391 5 22.2782 193.46
0.0000
Residual 2.5334 22 0.115155
Total (corr) 113.924 27

R-squared = 97.7762 percent

R-squared (adjusted for d.f.) = 97.2708 percent
Standard Error of Est. = 0.330345
Mean absolute error = 0.230293
Durbin-watson statistic = 1.88805

In order to analyze critically the dynamics of female participation in higher education, in

the regression model five variables in all have been included namely marriages of women,
religious factors, employment trends, cultural factors and poverty.

 The relationship of the marriages of the females appeared positive and significant too.
In Pakistan the average age of marriage among females ranges from twenty to twenty
three, which is actually the age of higher education and consolidation. An increase in
the average age of marriage implies that females get respectable time in career and
also consolidating their job careers.
 The relationship with the religious factors appeared positive and significant; means
that women in more religious families do not reduce their prospects of active
participation in higher studies.
 The relationship of the employment trends appeared negative, means that as the size
of service sector increases the female participation in higher education also increases.
 The relationship of the cultural factors appeared negative means that women are no
interested in higher education in our culture.

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 The poverty has a positive relationship with female participation in higher education
implies the greater the amount of poverty pressures especially among male
counterparts, low level of living standards and rising cost of living increases a greater
supply of female in higher education. The relationship appeared significant also.
The R-square of fitted model has been estimated at 97.7762 percent means that these five
regressers stated above explains predominant variations or sources of variations in the female
participation in higher education. The adjusted R-square has been estimated at 97.2708
percent means that the model has not been affected greater because of the degrees of freedom
problem. The test of goodness of fit based upon ANOVA measures F-ratio 193.46 with the
corresponding P value of approximately zero percent. So it may be inferred that the
probability of rejecting entire model is approximately zero percent and the model explains
significant part of variability in the dependent variable.
Conclusions
Women are integral part of the economic process of the country, within and outside
their homes, in the formal and informal sectors, in urban and rural areas. Nut, the move
towards modernization and cash economies have combined with strong cultural norm of
pardah to hide the nature and extent of women’s economic contributions to the household,
community and the country.
Developmental processes have affected male and female participation in higher
studies unequally. Women’s productivity in most fields has not been enhanced, and their
potential remains unutilized. The development of a society is determined to a great extent by
the place which women occupy in it and the part they play in the development of a nation. It
is easy to establish the constitutional rights of women but to find out the rights they really
enjoy may be a challenging task. The progress of a country is accompanied by full
participation of women. Five factors that include health, education, employment, a high
quality environment and political and economic freedom are essential for female
participation.
The researcher after detailed analysis concluded following results:
In Pakistan the average age of marriage among females ranges from twenty to
twenty three, which is actually the age of career development and consolidation. An increase
in the average age of marriage implies that females get respectable time in higher education
and also consolidating their job careers. The size of the religious factors helped to increase
the female participation in higher education. There are specific fields where women are
playing a very positive role in the Pakistani society. Employment Trends enhances greater
geographical mobility among employees for better prospects and eventually increases female
participation in higher education institutions significantly. But unfortunately the situation of
culture factors is pathetic as compare to developed countries of the world. This situation is
somehow better in the urban areas hence one can observe that women’s participation is
increasing tremendously in these developed areas as compare to less developed areas.
Similarly the relationship of poverty has a positive relationship with female participation in
higher education institutions implies the greater the amount of poverty pressures especially
among male counterparts, low level of living standards and rising cost of living increases a
greater supply of female in higher education institutions.

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Finally, women can only play vital role in national development if government clearly
manifest by its actions, its political determination to promote the access of women and girls
to education, especially higher education institutions. This will consequently lead to their
economic life as well as political awareness.
Recommendations
1. The Government should focus to establish more number of Women Universities in the
country. It is recommended that at least one Women University may be established at
divisional level in Pakistan.
2. The new disciplines for the employment of women may be introduced in addition to
the traditional trades like Health care, NGOs and Teaching etc.
3. The Government should create more employment opportunities for women in
different sectors and allocate a quota for them in government jobs.
4. There should be exclusive Banks, Schools, Hospitals, Parks, Hotels, Factories, IT
centers Markets and Transport etc. for women in the country where Women can work
freely having Higher Education.
5. The Women should have a special quota in all the Higher Education institutes of
Pakistan. They should have an equal chance to compete on merit as well.
6. The Government should develop such programmes where rural women can support to
enroll in the Higher Education institutes.
7. Exclusive hostels for women may be declared as mandatory for all degree awarding
institutions in Pakistan.
8. HEC may introduce scholarship programmes for the married women on getting
admissions in the degree programmes.
9. The awareness raising campaign may be launched through electronics and print media
at district level for promoting Higher Education in the country especially among
women.
10. The conferences, workshops and seminars may also be organized from various
platforms to create a healthy mindset among males of the society for the awareness of
Women Education especially the Higher Education.
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Electronic References
http://www.archivistonline.pk/literacy-rate-in-pakistan/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy
http://www.na.gov.pk/en/composition.php
http://www.tevta.gop.pk/

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