Political Reforms and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan)
Abstract
Women empowerment is an important discourse among the academic circles, especially in the feminist debates. The economic independence of women remains under discussion too because it fuels their overall empowerment. This paper mainly concentrates to examine the impact of political changes on female’s economic empowerment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Moreover, this also focuses to know women’s knowledge about the political reforms brought for their empowerment. Liberal feminist camp supports the theoretical insights of this study. Empiricist epistemology guides the methodological application of the study. A sample of 400 women political representatives was taken through proportionate random sampling. Data were collected through interview schedule. Content analysis and independent sample t-test techniques helped in data analysis. Findings reveal some minor effects of the political reforms (i.e. increase of women quota in jobs and protection to women from workplace harassment); however, women’s economic independence in the study area still needs serious attention from different public and private stakeholders.