page_title: Women in Pakistan
section_title: Culture
hierarchical_section_title: Women in Pakistan / Culture
caption_attribution_description: Women and girls in Shadadkot, north-west Sindh, Pakistan - one of many communities across Sindh who were helped by UK aid after the flooding in 2010. Photo: Magnus Wolfe-Murra/DFID
context_page_description: Women in Pakistan make up 48.76% of the population according to the 2017 census of Pakistan. Women in Pakistan have played an important role throughout Pakistan's history and they are allowed to vote in elections since 1956. In Pakistan, women have held high offices including that of the Prime Minister, Speaker of the National Assembly, Leader of the Opposition, as well as federal ministers, judges, and serving commissioned posts in the armed forces. Major General Shahida Malik, attaining the highest military post for a woman.
  The status of women in Pakistan differ considerably across classes, regions and the rural/urban divide due to the uneven socioeconomic development and the impact of tribal and feudal social formations on lives of women in Pakistan. Gender Concerns International reports that the overall women's rights in Pakistan has improved with increasing number of women are educated and literate.
  However, women in Pakistan face discrimination as result of patriarchal society of Pakistan. Some of the problem faced by women in Pakistan are domestic violence, honour killing, rape and abduction, marital rape, forced marriages, and induced abortions.
context_section_description: While some feminists contest the term, still the word Aurat is most used term for women in Pakistan.
  Although Pakistan's population is almost entirely Muslim (96.4% as of 2010), women's  status differs significantly by community.
  Women's dress varies depending on region, class and occasion, but shalwar kameez is the principal garment worn by Pakistani women. Ghararas (a loose divided skirt worn with a blouse) and lehengas were once common, but are now worn mostly at weddings.
  Few Pakistani women wear the hijab or burqa in public, and the degree to which they choose to cover varies; with the use of the burqa being primarily predominant in Pashtun territories.  Some traditionally Afghan clothing styles have become prevalent in recent decades in some areas of Pakistan. 
  Pakistan has no laws banning or enforcing the hijab. Surveys conducted in Pakistan show that most women wearing the hijab do so of their own choice. The veil is not an absolute requirement, and  women may even wear jeans and T-shirts in urban areas of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and other big cities. In the last five years, western dressing has become much more common among women in cities. Many women wear pants, plazzo and tight jeans with long shirts as well as short shirts. Most women in small cities and rural areas wear the Shalwar Kameez, which consists of a tunic top and baggy trouser set which covers their arms, legs and body. A loose dupatta scarf is also worn around the shoulders, upper chest and head. Men also have a similar dress code, but only women are expected to wear a dupatta in public.
  Some Pakistani women who do not wear the hijab may wear the dupatta or chadar instead.
  A sari is a formal dress worn on special occasions by some, mainly urban, women. The Islamization under General Zia ul Haq's dictatorship branded the sari as an "un-Islamic" form of dress. but it has made a comeback in fashionable circles.
caption: Women and girls in Shadadkot, north-west Sindh, Pakistan.
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