Autonomy and empowerment of Christian women in Pakistan: A qualitative inquiry

Abstract

The study examined the autonomy and empowerment of Christian women in urban and semi-urban areas of Sargodha in the context of the interplay of gender, religious identity, family structure and socio-economic factors. The study was qualitative, under the light of interpretivist paradigm, feminist viewpoints and phenomenological perspective. The data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 31 Christian women from different age groups in urban and semi-urban areas of Sargodha. The purposive sampling method was used to select the participants. The data was analyzed narratively and thematically through six-phase approach developed by Braun and Clarke. The results were presented under several themes including personal autonomy, education, employment and access to opportunities, gender roles and patriarchal limitations, religious identity and discrimination, socio-economic barriers and coping. The results showed that women’s autonomy was negotiated in the context of their family and community relationships. Moreover, patriarchy limited women’s role in the decision-making process, movement, access to resources, education, job, and public life. Furthermore, women’s confidence, recognition and bargaining power was improved by their economic participation and provided them partial control over their income and household decision making.