Determinants of Women’s Empowerment in Pakistan: Evidence from Demographic and Health Surveys, 2012–13 and 2017–18

Abstract

Background: Women’s empowerment has always remained a contested issue in the complex socio-demographic and cultural milieu of Pakistani society. Women are ranked lower than men on all vital human development indicators. Therefore, studying various determinants of women’s empowerment is urgently needed in the Pakistani context.Methods: The present study empirically operationalized the concept of women’s empowerment and investigated its determinants through representative secondary data taken from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Surveys, 2012–13 and 2017–18. The study used simple binary logistic and multivariable regression analysis. Results: The results of the binary logistic regression highlighted that almost all of the selected demographic, economic, social, and access to information variables were significantly associated with women’s empowerment (p<0.05) in both PDHS datasets. In the multivariable regression analysis, the adjusted odds ratios highlighted that reproductive-age women in higher age groups, having children, with a higher level of education and wealth index, involved in skilled work, who were the head of household, and had access to information were reported to be more empowered. Conclusions: Women’s empowerment is determined by a number of social, economic, demographic, and other factors. The study proposes some evidence-based policy options to improve the status of women in Pakistan.

Women empowerment and access to maternity and reproductive healthcare in Pakistan: cross-validation of a Survey-based Index in Afghanistan (SWEI-A)

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Gender Equality but Never-Ending Inequity in FATA, Pakistan

“…Various factors such as household decisions authority, expenditure choice have given much importance to formulate the "women"s empowerment" (Hameed et al, 2014;Alam et al, 2015). Other factors like social status, available opportunities and norms also affects the empowernment (Abbas, 2020). From this point of departure, the current research endeavors to classify and recognize numerous factors of women"s empowerment in FATA.…”