1

CONTENTS

Preface …………………………………………………………………………………………... 4

Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………………………. 5

INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………………...6

i. Hypothesis …………………………………………………………………............... 7
ii. Statement of the Problem …………………………………………………….......... 7
iii. Significance and Scope of the Study ………………………………………………. 7
iv. Literature Review ………………………………………………………………….. 8
v. Methods ……………………………………………………………………………..8
vi. Outline of the Paper ………………………………………………………………..9

SECTION-I

UNDERSTANDING DEMOGRAPHIC

RANSITIONS AND DISPARITIES …………………………………………………………10

1.1. Demographic Transitions

………………………………………………………………...10
1.2. Demographic Dividends ………………………………………………………………….
12
1.3. Demographic Disparity
………………………………………………………………….. 15
1.4. Rural Urban Disparity
…………………………………………………………………...15

SECTION-II

ABNORNAL SEX RATIOS IN

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA ………………………………………………………………18

2.1. Causes of Demographic Imbalance in Sex Ratios

 2

in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ……………………………………………………………………...19

2.1.1. War on Terror and Casualties …………………………………………………………19

2.1.2. The Problem of Son Preference ………………………………………………………..21

2.1.2.1. Effects of Preference for Son on Sex Ratio …………………………………………. 22

SECTION-III

CONSEQUENCES OF IMBALANCED SEX RATIO …………………………………….. 24

3.1. Status of Women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ……………………………………………. 24

3.2. Effects of Imbalanced Sex Ratio ………………………………………………………… 26

3.2.1. Social Consequences …………………………………………………………………… 26

3.2.2. Political Consequences …………………………………………………………………. 26

3.2.3. Economic Consequences ……………………………………………………………….. 27

3.3. Abnormal Sex Ratios in Other Countries ………………………………………………. 28

Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………….. 31

Recommendations …………………………………………………………………………….. 32

Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………………... 35
 3

List of Figures and Tables

Figure 1.1……………………………………………………………………………………… 11

Figure 1.2 …………………………………………………………………………………..

Figure 1.3 ……………………………………………………………………………………….

Table 1.1 ………………………………………………………………………………………..17

 4

PREFACE

Pakistan ranks the sixth most populated country in the family of nations. Many factors are

responsible for the soaring number of population growth, such as extreme religiosity where

abortion is deemed to be strictly prohibited under the tenets of Islam, refusal to use

contraceptives, desire to beat a male child and poverty among others. Besides the rise in

population statistics, the most startling issue is certain demographic imbalances which the

growth in population tends to create.

Demographic transitions include urbanization, fluctuating mortality rate and imbalances between

ratios of different sections of society such as the gap between rich and poor, ratio of women

compared to men and vice versa, imbalance between youth, old, children and between skilled

and unskilled.

The course of this study struggles to discover the different facets of demographic disparities

between the ratios of female population compared to male population in the coming decades in

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along with the cause and effect phenomena on the social, economic and

political structures.
 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The rising demographic imbalances in different sections of society indicate that population

should be studied thoroughly in order to eliminate certain unsteady growth in these sectors.

During the past two decades, Pakistan has experienced wide spread urbanization which has led

the rural areas astray. Similarly, the ratios of young people dominated the bulk of society, which

might serve as a positive indicator of progress, if it is handled effectively.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the current census indicates that the ratio of females has risen to a

greater level as compared to the census in 1998. Different causes contributed to this rise, which

includes the factor of war on terror after U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, migration and preference

given to sons in the social structure.

Different factors have different effects on the demographic balance. For example, the preference

for sons might result in increase of ratio of females, but it can also be a factor for increase in

population of male. We experience this with the example of China where One Child Policy tends

to strengthen the desire for a male child only. This results in reducing the number of females.

The rising number of females in backward societies have dire consequential effects for the

social, political and economic set-up. If the female bulk of population is backward in education

and is passive to participation in politics or is uninterested and unskilled to contribute to a

 6

country’s economy, in the long run, that country will stumble on its path towards progress and

development.

INTRODUCTION

High fertility rate and decline in mortality rates have caused the stunning population growth in

Pakistan at the rate of 2.4% per annum (Ahmadani, 2017). However, the increase in mortality

rate of men, compared to women, has led to increasing demographic disparity between male and

female ratio of population. Certain factors are responsible for causing this imbalance. The

foremost of them is the mass loss of lives in war on terror. Since the population census in 1998,

Pakistan is constantly engaged in war against terror. From 2000 until February, 2018 about

63,185 Pakistanis have lost their lives which include civilians, security personnel and

terrorists/insurgents (South Asia Terrorism Portal). A predominant number of this figure consists

of men who are involved in activities outside the homes while women are confined to household

only.

The second factor creating polarity in demographic ratios among the two sexes is the patriarchal

social framework in which people prefer to reproduce more male family members. As a

consequence, the female population goes on increasing to fulfill the wish for male child. Other

random factors include that men exterminate each other for land, property and other such ‘evils’.

Owing to such reasons, keeping in view the current facts and figures about the demography of

Pakistan, women will outnumber men in the decades to come. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is leading
 7

other provinces of Pakistan in this regard, where the female population is increasing at a faster

rate than male population.

As most of women population is denied social, economic and political opportunities, the country

is likely to fall on verge of decline in all these sectors. In order to tackle the envisaged situation,

it is the need of this hour to empower women in all fields.

i. Hypothesis

Keeping in view the facts and figures of population census conducted in 2017, the female

population might outnumber male population, hence causing demographic imbalances in Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa.

ii. Statement of the Problem

In the 6th population census, the share of women population is about 48.8% which has increased

about 1% over the years since the 5th census. In the 5th Population Census, women were about

47.9% of the total population (Rana, 2017). In the next decade, the population of male and

female will almost come shoulder to shoulder. With the same pace, after two or three decades,

the female population will surpass the male which will create grave social and economic issues

for the country as the female wing of population is mostly uneducated, unskilled and backward.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is highly vulnerable to demographic imbalance where the ratio of male and

female population is 50.7% and 49.3% respectively and the sex ratio is 105.0 (Pakistan Bureau

of Statistics, 2017). This warns that women should be given equal opportunities as men in order

to avoid socio-economic pitfalls. This study explored the different reasons behind growing

demographic transitions between men and women and their long term implications.
 8

iii. Significance and Scope of the Study

The subject-matter of this research papers aims at exploring different dimensions of demographic

transitions, particularly the growing disparity among ratios of male and female population. As

the ratio of female population tends to surpass the male population, this study will enable the

policy makers to legislate on certain issues like women empowerment and population control.For

interested researchers in the domain of demography and women empowerment, this study can

provide useful ideas and literature.

iv. Literature Review

In order to carry out the Research, we reviewed the literature available on demographic

transitions. Literature review on the subject includes “Population Trends in China and India:

Demographic Dividend or Demographic Drag? In China and India, 2025: A Comparative

Assessment” by Wolf, C., Dalal, S., DaVanzo, J., Larson, E., Akhmedjonov, A., Dogo, and

Montoya, S, “Security Considerations. In Drivers of Long-Term Insecurity and Instability in

Pakistan: Urbanization” by Blank, J., Clary, C., &Nichiporuk, B, “Pakistan’s Future: Is Past

Prologue? In Pakistan: Can the United States Secure an Insecure State?” by Fair, C., Crane, K.,

Chivvis, C., Puri, S., &Spirtas, M. The problem of sex ratio determination was first investigated

by R. A. Fisher (1930). Fisher made the case that natural selection will work towards a balanced

sex ratio.

v. Methods

The research paper shall use deductive reasoning with utilizing both quantitative and qualitative

analysis. Data shall be collected from secondary sources such as books, journal articles,

newspaper articles and database of Bureau of Statistics. Primary data shall be collected by
 9

interviews from people based in Peshawar region who share large families with a relative high

ratio of female family members.

Methodology Limitations

So far, only the provisional results of the 2017 population census are accessible which leads to

complexity in facts and figures about detailed demographic divisions, especially in Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa. This resulted in generalizing most of data and then linking it to the specific area.

An effort is made to reduce the methodology limitation.

vi. Outline of the Paper

The research paper shall consist of three sections. Section I shall deal with a comparison of

population statistics of 5th and 6th Population Censuses in 1998 and 2017 respectively to

comprehend the demographic transitions and disparity among different sections of society in

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Section II shall consist of the rising ratio between male and female

population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and different reasons behind this increase. Section III shall

explore the effects of demographic imbalance between ratios of male and female population on

the over-all social, political and economic fabric of the society and an over-view of other

countries which have such demographic imbalances where the ratio of women surpasses men’s

ratio, or vice-versa.
 10

SECTION-I

UNDERSTANDING DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITIONS AND DISPARITIES

Very often, the terms “demographic transition” and “demographic disparities” are confused.

However by their definitions, they are simply different from each other. A layman’s explanation

to remove the confusion in both these terms is that demographic transition is linked with the birth

and death rates of a population, whereas demographic disparity is the ratio imbalance in different

sections of population.

1.1. Demographic Transition

The theory of demographic transition was put forward by Warren Thompson.According to

this theory, demographic transition is the changes in the birth and death rates in the

industrialized societies over previous 200 years. 1 Most developed countries have completed

the demographic transition and have low birth rates while most of developing countries are

still in the process of transition such as Pakistan, Palestine, Yemen and Afghanistan. 2

There are essentially four stages of demographic transition.

i. In first stage, both the birth rates and death rates are high and almost balanced.

1
"Warren Thompson". Encyclopedia of Population. 2. Macmillan Reference. 2003. pp. 939–40. ISBN 0-02-865677-6
2
Caldwell; Peter F McDonald; Thomas Schindlmayr (2006). Demographic Transition Theory. Dordrecht, The
Netherlands: Springer. p. 239. ISBN 1-4020-4373-2.
 11

ii. In the second stage, the death or mortality rate declines. It is during this stage when

steady growth/rise in population is occurs.

iii. In third stage, the birth rates decline. It is in this stage where the shrinking of

population initiates.

iv. In stage four, both birth rates and death rates decline which leads to an overall

decrease in population.

Applying the above stages to the case of Pakistan, we analyze the death rates over the years.

Figure 1.1

Death Rate in Pakistan

Source:https://www.indexmundi.com/facts/pakistan/death-rate
 12

It is evident from figure 1.1 that as years pass by, there is a general decline in death rates. This

analysis is the manifestation that Pakistan is currently passing through the second stage of

population transitions and hence it is expected to show rise in population in overall.

Pakistan is also passing through the demographic transition, with fertility rates finally indicating

a declining trend. It is now experiencing a once in a lifetime demographic dividend as the

working-age population bulges and the dependency ratio declines.

Figure 1.2

Birth Rate in Pakistan

Source:https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Pakistan/Birth_rate/

From the above figure, it can be easily depicted that birth rates are declining over the years.

Different reasons might be attributed to this decline, such as awareness about family planning
 13

and use of contraceptives, increased urbanization and other social changes about parental

upbringing and concern for a child’s future.

1.2. Demographic Dividends

The demographic dividend occurs when decline in birth rate, which normally follows mortality

decline with the onset of the demographic transition, leads to changes in age structure of a

population. The impact of changes in crude death rate and crude birth rate over the demographic

transition cycle is not fully encapsulated by population growth rate alone. Three important

demographic scenarios result because of the lag between changes in fertility and mortality rates.

One is a temporary rise and a subsequent fall in population growth rate. 3 The other is a delayed

change in the ratio of working-age population to total population. During the first phase,

characterized by a decline in crude death rate from the pre-demographic transition level, the

working-age ratio undergoes an initial decline as the decline in crude death rate tends to be

concentrated in early childhood, creating a population bulge in the young age groups. During the

second phase of the demographic transition, in which crude birth rate declines from the pre

demographic transition level, the population bulge enters and stays in the working-age group,

and the rate of growth of the working-age population surpass that of total population, with a

consequent increase in the working-age ratio. During the third phase the population bulge moves

out of the working-age group and enters the old age category. The gap between the rates of

3
Kelley, A., and R. Schmidt (1996) Savings, Dependency, and Development. Journal of Population Economics 9,
365-386.
 14

growth in the working-age population and total population is now reversed resulting in a decline

in the working-age ratio.4

The essence of demographic dividend thus is that the young and the old tend to consume more

than they produce, unlike working-age population, who contribute more to output and savings

than they consume.5

Figure 1.3

Percentage Share of Young, Working-age and Old Population and Median Age of

Population: Pakistan, 1950

Source:UN (2005) World Population Prospects: The 2005 Revision. New York: United Nations

These trends in fertility and mortality rates in the country indicate an increasing median age of

the population. From a youngish median age of 20 years in 2006, it is projected to increase to an

4
Higgins, M. (1998) Demography, National Savings, and International Capital Flows. International Economic Review
39, 343-369.
5
Mason, A. (1988) Saving, Economic Growth, and Demographic Change. Population and Development Review 14,
113-144.
 15

adult 33 years by 2050 (medium variant). As can be seen from Figure 1.3, the median age of the

population in Pakistan started to increase in the 1990s and, with decreasing fertility level, the

trend will continue in future. If the demographic transition follows a slower path in the country,

the median age would be around 29 years by 2050, compared to 38 years if the fertility decline is

more rapid (Figure 6). All these demographic processes have resulted in decreasing the

dependency ratio in the country. As we saw in Figure 6, the proportion of the population in

working-ages (15-64 years) continues to increase while those in the younger ages (0-14)

decrease. The proportion of the elderly in the total population is projected to show a substantial

increase only after 2025. It would be then the increasing elderly population that would take the

dependency ratios higher as against the 20th century when it was mainly young dependency that

contributed to the total dependency ratio. Figure 7 shows the old, young and total dependency

ratios in Pakistan projected till the year 2050. We can see the total dependency falling in the late

1990s till almost middle of the 21st century, along with the young dependency, on the other hand

the old dependency ratio shows an increasing trend after 2025, making the total dependency ratio

increase again towards the middle of this century.

1.3. Demographic Disparity

Different factors which are responsible for demographic transition can be collected under

demographic disparities. As an illustration, if the birth rates are declining due to increased

urbanization. It can be explained in other words that increasing disparity in urban-rural

settlement is responsible for demographic transition. Urbanization, in this regard, is a single

disparity factor, among others.

1.4. Rural-Urban Disparity

 16

As development takes place from agricultural to industrial sector, large-scale relocation of rural

inhabitants to towns and cities takes place. During this process, the growth rate of urban areas

is,in general, doubled the pace of overall population boost. Some 29 percent of the world

population was living in urban areas in 1950; this figure was 43 percent in 1990 and in the year

2000 was about 50 percent.6

Largely, the factors leading to high urban density are:

i. Those factors which create hurdles, in making the local conditions conducive and for

better life, are less fertile area, less production, non-availability of health facilities and

sanitation problems, lack of quality education, non-availability/non- existence of

social system based on justice.

ii. Second, the cities offer environment and exposure which is conducive to better

employment opportunities and quality of life, which inspire the rural population in

general and the young generation in particular for migration.7

Urbanization severely affects the number of people living in the countryside, with negative

population growth rates in rural areas of some countries, e.g. Thailand. Rapid growth of overall

population has deferred this event in most less-developed countries, but it has occurred in the

early decades of the 21st century.8

Pakistan has and continues to urbanize at a faster pace than India. From 1975-1995, Pakistan

grew 10% from 25% to 35% urbanized, while India grew 6% from 20% to 26%. Urbanization is

no recent phenomenon for Pakistan: It has been a steady trend since at least 1971 and quite likely
6
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia Deluxe, 2002
7
Population Educational Cell (2001), Curriculum Wing, Ministry of Education. Islamabad.
8
ShekerChander and Ram F. (2001) Ward-Wise Population Projection of Greater Mumbai: A different
Methodological Approach. Paper presented in XXIV Indian Social Sciences Congress held at Chandigarh, India
during March 1-5, 2001
 17

since independence in 1947.1 The UN projects that this trend will continue and even accelerate

in the coming years (see Table 2.1). The urbanized percentage of Pakistan’s population grew 4.1

percent in the five years between 2005 and 2010 and is expected to grow 4.7 percent between

2010 and 2015. It is expected to grow 10 percent in the decade following 2010, compared with

just under 9 percent in between 2005 and 2015. Whether one looks at the data solely for the

period of 1972 to the present or includes both the less-comparable data from 1947 through 1971

and the projections for trends into the future, the picture remains very similar: A steadily

increasing percentage of the population is concentrated in Pakistan’s cities, with this percentage

likely to become an absolute majority around 2040. The table given below indicates the figures

of urban and rural divide.

Table 1.1

Urban and Rural Population of Pakistan

Source: UN Population Division data, accessed March 29, 2018.

 18

SECTION-II

ABNORNAL SEX RATIOS IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

Just over half of the human population is male. In 2004, male accounted for 50.4% of the global

total9, but in some regions of the world the proportion is considerably above or below this

average. We first explain how some natural fluctuation in sex ratio occurs in human populations

and we illustrate this with the example of the effects of war. We then demonstrate how the

tradition of preference for male offspring has led to huge distortions in the sex ratio in some

countries. The wider social and political consequences of these distortions are discussed. All the

discussion will take Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in purview.

Before going into the details of factors causing disparity in sex ratios, an effort to compare the

population censuses of 1998 and 2017 is made to explore the rising number of women

population as compared to male population.

The total population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2017 census provisional results is 30.523 million

in which 49.3% are female. This means, about 15.047 million. The male population is 50.7%

which is about 15.475 million. The actual number of male and female population is 154,676,45

and 150,548,13 respectively.

9
Central Intelligence Agency (2005) The World Factbook. Available at www.cia.gov/publications/ factbook.
Accessed April 15th, 2018
 19

In 1998, the total population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was 177,359,12 in which there were

924,982,9.70 male and 848,608,2.29 female. The sex ratio was 109 male per 100 female. There

were 52% male and 48% female population.

These figures show an alarming increase in the female population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is

more likely that in next ten or twenty years, the ratio of female population will outnumber the

male population. In order to understand why it would prove “alarming” if female population

outnumbers male population, this Section will explain the effects of female dominated society in

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

2.1. Causes of Demographic Imbalance in Sex Ratios in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

As discussed above, the ratio of male-female population stands at the verge of clashing each

other. We look into the factors which may cause this disparity and in turn cause social, political

and economic turbulence in future.

2.1.1. War on Terror and Casualties

After the last census was conducted in 1998, the United States attacked Afghanistan and a war

on terror was ensued. In the social structure of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, female stay inside their

homes while men manage business outside the premises of the house. This naturally resulted in

more male casualties in bomb blasts and other acts of terror. According to SAFRON, more than

70 thousand people lost their lives during all these years between two censuses in which a

dominant number consisted of men. Meanwhile, the mortality rate of females had declined.

The proposed biological ex planations for the observed increase in sex ratio during war include

stress to adult males, affecting the viability of XY-bearing vs. XX-bearing sperm; changes in the
 20

age structure of the population; and higher frequency of inter course, leading to conception

earlier in the menstrual cycle, all of which have been associated with increased sex ratios in other

studies.10

Alternatively, evolutionary explanations argue that the increase represents an adaptive

equilibrium after the decimation of males during war 11, although critics argue that the increase

does not last long enough to compensate for wartime casualties. The cause of this alteration in

sex ratio at birth during war remains a curiosity.Figures for this ratio are generally taken from

census data and are regarded as more reliable than figures for sex ratio at birth. The population

sex ratio depends on three factors: the sex ratio at birth, differential mortality rates between the

sexes at different ages, and losses and gains through migration.

Regarding migration, during the years since last census, a large number of Afghan refugees

returned to Pakistan, after they were repatriated followed by Soviet troops withdrawal from

Afghanistan. Most of those refugees settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Among refugees, a large

number of female were included who latter registered themselves as citizens of Pakistan. As the

inflow of females was increased, the outflow relatively decreased which caused the ratio to get

unstable.A respondent reported that my two wives, mother and nine sisters migrated along with

me in 20002 and most Afghans have more daughters than sons. 12Similarly, another respondent

told that I came as refugee with a group of females of his family, which included his cousins as

well as some females from neighbourhood because we do not allow females to travel alone. So

some men remained there to look after things they have left, or to participate in war, while other

10
Bisioli, C. (2004). Human Reproduction p.218-219
11
Ellis, L. & Bonin, S. (2004). Soc. Sci. Inf. 115-122
12
Nasir Khan, a resident of Dalazak Road, came as refugee to Pakistan in 2002 and obtained citizenship of Pakistan
in 2011.
 21

men were sent with groups of females to migrate to Pakistan. 13 Afghanistan was facing from

severe ratio of male-female population imbalance due to this migration factor. In 2001, the ratio

of missing female was from 0.5-1 million.

2.1.2. The Problem of Son Preference

Sons are preferred because

i. They have a higher wage-earning capacity, especially in agrarian economies

ii. They continue the family line; and;

iii. They are generally recipients of inheritance.

Girls are often considered an economic burden because of the dowry system; after marriage they

typically become members of the husband's family, ceasing to have responsibility for their

parents in illness and old age.

Since the pre-natal sex determination methods are either non-available or are considered socially

evil, in remote regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, people have no other choice but to keep on

giving birth to more daughters in the desire of male child. In modern societies, abortion of non-

desired sex is a common social behavior but in this part of the world, people are highly sensitive

to abortions and they consider it a non-pardonable act of murder. As a result, the family grows

larger with more number of female members.

A respondent told that “we are 13 sisters and one brother. Our brother was born at number 10.

My father wanted a son to look after his business. When our brother was born, they desired to

13
Mahmood ulHaq, who is a resident of Dalazak Road, Peshawar, came to Peshawar as a refugee and availed
citizenship of Pakistan in 2011.
 22

have one more and hence three more daughters were born. Eventually, they decided to give up

on their wish and show gratitude with having one son.”14

Another respondent told that “we are nine sisters. When no male child was born, our father re-

married in desire of having a son. Now he has one son and four daughters from his second

wife.”15

As opposed to preference of sons, some areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (like Chitral and Karak)

give preference to daughters. In some of these areas, there is a custom of taking money for

marrying their daughters. It is kind of selling their daughters but it is not considered as evil in

these regions.

A respondent told that “if a person in these regions has ten daughters and one or two son, he is a

happy man because for him, sons, not daughters, are a burden.”16

2.1.2.1. Effects of Preference for Son on Sex Ratio

Asymmetric procreation behaviour can be captured by assuming that families plan a number of

m > 1 children. When there is at least one son among those m children, the family is satisfied.

Otherwise it continues to procreate until either a son is born or else the number of children

reaches a number n>m. The most extreme model of this variety assumes m = 1 and /?->oo, i.e., a

family continues indefinitely to procreate until a son is born.

Asymmetric procreation habits have important consequences for an economy. Both for

homogeneous birth probabilities and even more so for inhomogeneous birth probabilities we

observe that families with more male offspring tend to be smaller than families with more female
14
Tajalla Ashfaq is a teacher and resident of Charsadda.
15
Nausheen Fatimah is a working woman. She belongs to Rajjar area of Charsadda
16
Tayyaba is a student at University of Peshawar, belongs to Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
 23

offspring. If the families start with a dis? tribution of wealth which is stochastically independent

of the family size, then smaller families can on average make higher human capital investments

in their offspring and bequeath on average their children more wealth. This implies that the

males of the next generation would on average be better educated and wealthier. This has then, in

turn, further repercussions on the development of the economy. To follow these lines of thought

would lead to dynamic models of the society, which would require a different and much more

comprehensive analysis that cannot be done within the confines of this paper.

SECTION-III
 24

CONSEQUENCES OF IMBALANCED SEX RATIO

While putting aside the situation of sex ratio imbalance, where men outnumber women, the issue

in consideration in this paper is to explore the effects which female dominancy (in numbers)

have on the over-all social, political and economic health of a society. These effects widely

depend on the status of female which they enjoy in a particular social structure.

3.1. Status of Women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is dominantly inhabited by people belonging to Pakhtun

culture.Here, we will confine the debate to unofficial status only. Most Pakhtun stereotype men

usually limit their daughters, sisters, wives and mothers to the premises of their house only. Men

fulfill all their needs which require activities outside home. They take the education of females

for-granted because they do not deem it important enough to educate their female

siblings.Similarly, they do not want to see their women earning. It is considered as a mark of

shame for men in areas where people are stick to core cultural practices.

In settled areas, this set-up has emerged with modifications in accordance with the changes in

contemporary world. Many Pakhtun men are allowing their female family members to acquire

education and also to become economically independent. This trend has been accelerated by

rapid urbanization process which is explained in Section I.

Women role and status is determined in Pakhtun society by the male. Her general role is only

home management; cleaning, washing, cooking, budget making, agriculture activities (livestock

& poultry etc), sewing and embroidery making, socialization of children, participation in

ceremonial activities and female oriented job/ service. Her contribution in decision making

includes; socialization and education, home management, health care, family planning, budget
 25

making, time table of work and game / play, salary / income keeping and spending, participation

in ceremonial activities, sharing / suggestion in every matter. Her economic role includes; selling

daily used commodities, live stock / milk products, poultry products and netting, sewing and

embroidery making and selling. Her social role consists upon; participation in marriage

ceremonies, participation in death ceremonies, participation in traditional and all types of

ceremonies. Problems faced by women in their productive role-play; women are less advantaged,

lack of mobility, Limited education, no access to resources, invisible partners of development,

low health, male dominancy and patriarchy

Although the Quran Sunnah and our history has shown that women can be equal to men provided

women should be treated on a pedestal equal to men. From the inception of birth she was given

to understand that her most important and fundamental qualities were her dependence and

helplessness. She was only prepared for her roe of marriage and subjugation to the will of man.

This was regarded as the only successful career. She looked upon man as the only means for her

subsistence and in majority of cases man became the only breadwinner of the family and hence

flattered that woman could not survive without him. The error of our social system gave man

dominating position and created false division between the two sexes.

we conclude that woman play very little part in their social life.They spend most of time in

household activities and having less contribution in out door activities. It is an observed fact that

Pakhtun’s sustain their patterns of norms and values as the most valuable property in the course

of life. These values have developed the unique concept of shame and honour, which is

inevitably necessary to keep an approved mode of status and role in the pakhtoon social order.

Gender patterns are followed strictly with no choice of getting out of them.
 26

3.2. Effects of Imbalanced Sex Ratio

As we have discussed the status of women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the above lines, it may be

well understood that as the ratio of females increase, as compared to male, the over-all social,

political and economic structure of the state will eventually collapse. Here, we will take the into

consideration the effects of rising imbalance on these three aspects.

3.2.1 Social Consequences

If the ratio of female population rises as compared to men, a social disorder and chaos will result.

Issues of marriage and family ties will emerge.Polygamy will become a common practice for

men in order to sustain the life of females because they are not empowered in different fields of

life and are dependent on their male counter-parts, as discussed in the above paragraphs about

the status of women in Pakhtun society.

As female are not allowed to acquire education in Pakhtun culture/society, a bulk of population

will remain uneducated, which may worsen the social fabric and order. Women are the nurseries

of their children and they are like schools for their children. If they have not seen the backyard of

a school themselves, how can it be guaranteed that they will contribute to a better upbringing of

their child in the modern age?

3.2.2 Political Consequences

Women in Pakhtun society are considered as poor decision-makers. Hence they are not allowed

to participate in the voting process and elections to choose their leaders. Their political

participation is not only limited to electoral system but also to representation. They are not

allowed to contest elections. Now if the population of females considerably rise and tend to
 27

imbalance the ratios, the country will face issues of sensitive nature in producing leaders for

future generations.

Comprising over just below 50 percent of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s population, women

continue to be under-represented as voters, political leaders and elected officials. Democracy

cannot truly deliver for all of its citizens if half of the population remains underrepresented in the

political arena.

Politics should represent all of a country's inhabitants. The only right democracy is one in which

men and women are evenly represented. Women are not a minority group that needs to be

protected. Women actually make up half of the population. Women possess half of the

population's talents, half of its knowledge and half of its skills. The chance of finding the most

competent person is twice as big when you recruit among women as well.

Women have their own interests and needs. They are in the best position to defend those

interests. An even participation of men and women in political arena may lead to a diversity of

ideas, values and patterns of behaviour that can only result in enrichment.

3.2.3 Economic Consequences

As women are only confined to the house-hold duties, and they are economically dependent on

their male family members, most of the times they face grave economic and financial issues

when their male family member either decease or become unable to work and earn for the family

due to variety of reasons.

Most of the female population do not have the skills which they can make use of to earn for their

life in a more respectable way. Although they know these things like sewing, knitting and
 28

maintaining livestock etc, however the bulk of our economy is agriculture and industry. Women

should excel in the using the modern tools and techniques to deliver better production of

different commodities. In the near future, when the ratio of females rise in comparison to male’s

ratio, the economy of this country will be able to survive from faltering.

3.3. Abnormal Sex Ratios in Other Countries

As opposed to the case of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there are some South Asian countries where the

ratio of missing female is higher than male present.Asia is the only continent with a sex ratio

>100, at 104; North America stands at 96.8 and Africa at 99.8 (40). Table 1 shows estimates for

numbers of missing females for Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, South Korea, Taiwan,

and Iran. Across these countries, an estimated 67-92 million females were missing in 2001.

Three of these countries are of particular interest: South Korea be cause it has succeeded in

reducing the sex ratio very substantially, India because of its marked regional differences in sex

ratio, and China with its unique One Child Policy.

Table 3.1
Number of Missing Females for Selected Countries

S. No Country Calculated No. of

Missing Female (in
millions)
1 Afghanistan 0.5-1
2 Bangladesh 1.8-3.7
3 China 34-41
4 India 27-39
5 South Korea 0.2-0.3
6 Taiwan 0.4-0.6
7 Iran 0.8-1.2
 29

South Korea was the first country to report very high sex ratios at birth, because the widespread

use of sex selective technology in South Korea pre ceded that of other Asian countries. High-

quality health care and accurate vital information registration have meant that differential gender

mortality and underreporting have not contributed to abnormal sex ratios. 17 The sex ratios began

to rise in the mid-1980s in cities, and ultrasound was already widely available even in rural areas

by 199.

In India, because of incomplete birth registration, sex ratios in young children are used as a

proxy measure. The sex ratio in children under age 6 rose from 106 in 1991 to 108 in 2001 18,

showing that improved health care and general conditions for females have been offset by

increased recourse to sex-selective abortion (2). However, distinct geo graphical differences in

sex ratio have appeared across the country; several states in the north and west have very high

population sex ratios. For example, in the Punjab, Delhi, and Gujarat, ratios are between 114 and

126, but in the south and east, several states such as Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have sex ratios

of - 105.19 The underlying rea sons for this divide are unclear and are not explained by any of the

more obvi ous factors, such as income level, avail ability of medical resources, variations in

economic growth, religion, or differences in female education (2). What is clear is that where sex

selection occurs it is strongly influenced by the gender of the preceding child; for second births

with one preceding girl the ratio is 132, and for third births with two previous girls the ratio is

139. In cases where the previous child was a boy, sex ratios are normal. 20 In contrast, in

Bangladesh sex-selective abortion is much less acceptable and available. In Bangladesh,

improved health care and conditions for women have led to lower sex ratios. The proportion of
17
Gu, B & Roy, K. (1995). Asia Pac. Population Journal. 10, 17-42
18
. Office of the Registrar General, India (New Delhi) (2001) Census of India 2001: Provisional Population Totals.
Available at www.censusindia. net/results. Accessed March 29th, 2018
19
ibid
20
. Jha, P., Kumar, R., Vasa, P., Dhingra, N., Thiruchelvam, D. &Moineddin, R. (2006) Lancet 367, 211-218.
 30

missing women in Bangladesh has been estimated to have declined from 8.9%, in 1981 to 6.9%

10 years later.

In China alone, approximately 1 mil lion excess male births are reported every year. 21 Because of

the One Child Policy introduced in 1979, China is unique in having a compulsory low fertility

culture, and this is combined with a strong tradition of son prefer ence. In China, there has been a

steady increase in the reported sex ratio at birth from 106 in 1979 to 111 in 1990, and to 117 in

2001, increasing to as high as 130 in some rural counties (44). The sex ratio by birth order is

particularly interesting in China because of the urban/rural differences in implementation of the

One Child Policy. In urban China only one child is al lowed, so some urban Chinese make the

choice to sex-select with their first pregnancy. In most rural areas, if the first child is a girl the

couples are allowed a second pregnancy. So, if the second (or subsequent) pregnancies are

female, either the fetus is aborted or the new born female child may be abandoned or sometimes

simply not registered, allow ing the couple to go on to have another child.

Conclusion

Analyzing the above stated facts and figures, it is evident that in Pakistani society, disparities and

imbalances are essential part of demography. Population transitions and imbalances exist in the

urban-rural divide, between working-age population which is over-whelming as compared to

other age groups. This may be counted as a positive indicator for development but the factor of

“skilled population” intervenes and might obstruct the healthy growth of an economy.

The theory of sex ratio determination developed arguments that natural selection works towards

a balanced sex ratio. It contends that individuals with a more equal sex ratio produce relatively

21
. Miller, B. D. (2001) Am. Anthropol. 103, 1083 1095.
 31

more offspring of the scarcer variety, which has, therefore, the better chance to pass on the

genetic strains of a more equal sex ratio. Histological research concerning the distribution of

male- and female-producing spermatozoa in human sperm has disproved the traditional theory of

sex ratio determination, without, however, having explained the predominance of a bal? anced

sex ratio. In addition, there must be other factors at work, which produce the remarkable

constancy of a balanced sex ratio.

The imbalance in the male-female demographic ratios leads to certain social, political and

economic consequences in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where female enjoy a relatively confined status

in these spheres of life. There are some countries where they face a totally opposite situation in

which there are millions of female missing from the population. They include India, China and

South Korea in Asian countries.

 32

RECOMMENDATIONS

When the family size norm is moderate and only contraceptive methods are available, couples

may consider the sex distribution of their existing children and decide whether or not to use

family planning, weighing the need for a son against their desired family size.Against their

desired family size (31). However, when fertility rates are low, by choice or coercion, female

births must be prevented to allow for the desired number of sons within the family size norm.

Pakhtun women were more aware and educated than yesterday and their role was inevitable for

progress and prosperity of the society. Pakhtun women had great potential to excel in every field.

It increased their responsibilities manifold to play a due role to shape a typical Pakhtun society

where women were respected and considered a boon rather than a bane. Pakhtun women could

do wonders in every sphere of life if given an opportunity. Pakhtun women should come forward

to perform their duty as level of acceptance for them in our society today is higher than a few

decades ago. Pakhtun women knew more about her rights and privileges in the society than ever

before. They are in need of encouragement and appreciation from men.

To improve the role and status of Pakhtun women, it is recommended that women education

should be improved and they should be given equal participation in developmental activities of

the society.

The following suggestions are extended to improve the role and status of women in the target

area.
 33

1. Provision of Education

As it is clear from this study that the literacy ratio of the people living in Pakistan is the lowest

globally, and with in Pakistan especially the Pukhtoons are very behind from the other parts of

the country, as here rules the traditional system of Pakhtunwali, “home or grave”, due to this

system most of the female are never allowed to get education. For the improvement of female

status in the rural areas steps should be taken to give women the freedom of getting education.

The state has clearly mentioned under the 18 th Amendment that free education should be given to

all.

2. Involvement in Decision-Making

Family means a group, for which it is essential that both male and female have the right of

making decision. If she would get the power of decision making in her family, she can manage a

lot of things which the male can not, especially in the socialization of the children and for their

bright future.

3. Job Opportunities

Female should be given the opportunity of having a job, which will make the family economy

strengthen and will divide the financial burden on the male. In this way they can live in a healthy

atmosphere. As a woman is a potential mother of tomorrow, therefore she should be treated well,

physical, moral or psychological. In this way we can make our home/ family safe and sound.

4. Political Empowerment

Giving equal representation to women in politics is the need of the hour. In many areas of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, women are not allowed to cast their vote, and they are even unaware
 34

about their political duties. The state should implement such policies that give women effective

political participation. Women are strongly committed to peace building, as they often

disproportionately suffer the consequences of armed conflict. Reconstruction and reconciliation

efforts take root more quickly and are more sustainable when women are involved. By helping

women become participating members of a democracy, one can look to mitigate conflicts or stop

conflicts before they begin.

 35

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 36

 "Warren Thompson". Encyclopedia of Population. 2. Macmillan Reference. 2003.

pp. 939–40. ISBN 0-02-865677-6

 Newspaper Articles

 Ahmadani, A. (2017, August 25). Pakistan's Population soars to 207m with 2.4%
Growth. Pakistan Today. Retrieved March 19, 2018, from
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 Rana, S. (2017, August 25). 6th Census Findings: 207 million and Counting. Tribune.
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 Zafar, Roshaneh. (2017, December 07). Population Emergency. Dawn. Retrieved March
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 Database
 http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/
 https://www.indexmundi.com/facts/pakistan/death-rate
 https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Pakistan/Birth_rate/