Attitudes towards Gender among Gender Studies Students from Public Sector Universities in Pakistan

Abstract

The study of gender as a subject in universities was a significant addition to Pakistani Higher Education. It was envisioned by Women's Development Department to inspire others to take action in favor of equality and social change. Scholarship on women's literature and gender suggested that students taking Women and Gender Studies courses developed awareness and the ability to critically analyze patriarchal norms. But the gender role attitude of students from WGS courses had been less researched in Pakistan. So, the present research was designed to explore the gender role attitudes of final year BS Honors (BSH) taking WGS courses. In this qualitative study, purposive sampling was used for participant recruitment to explore attitude towards gender among students from selected coeducation public sector universities of Punjab, Pakistan. A standard tool Traditional and Antitraditional Gender Role Attitude Scale (TAGRAS) served as a screening tool for the selection of participants from the University of the Punjab, Lahore and Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. On the basis of TAGRAS scores, twenty-one participants were recruited for qualitative interviewing. After transcription and coding, the thematic analysis presented that WGS courses helped to understand the gender issues. Some participants carried on with the traditional understanding while others developed resistance against the prevalent ideology. Some students showed commitment to apply the ideas in coming life while others did not feel courage to apply it in their families. The participants having an anti-traditional attitude towards gender roles did gender differences in the immediate family members but felt difficulty to perform in the extended family or in society. The study had implications for curriculum developers, policymakers, and course instructors.