Role of Religion in Mate Selection Among Educated Working Women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The present study was conducted to probe the role of religion in mate selection among educated females of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Data for the study was collected through a pre-tested questionnaire from 278 working women from three public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa i.e. The University of Agriculture, University of Peshawar and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Peshawar. Simple random method was applied to pick the samples from the study area whereas chi-square statistics was applied to get the major findings. Results reveal a contradictory type of situation as on the one hand, religion particularly the rituals were strictly followed during marriage but on the other hand, the mate selection rights of women were ignored mainly. This is practiced despite of the fact that Islam has given right/liberty in mate selection to both men and women.  Female respondents attributed it to lack of Islamic knowledge on part of family members or they do it to get more say and power through following common values and culture. Religious leaders do not lay much stress on the rights given by Islam to females in mate selection in their religious sermons. The issue according to respondents was not discussed either. Females on their part, though found interested in mates from their own sect or religious groups preferred liberal males over conservative ones because believing them to be stern and inflexible. The study recommends that an awareness campaign through mass media which may include religious leaders, civil society and political parties needs to be launched in order to raise awareness among both the educated and uneducated females along with their parents regarding mate selection, the nature and impact of religious misinterpretations, and current wave of western values, materialistic outlook and idealism that affects the selected females perception about mate selection.

The Moderating Role of Job Characteristics on Emotional Intelligence and Performance

The concept of emotional intelligence (EI) proposes that intelligence and emotion act in interactive and integrated way. People can solve technical problems far easier than human problems in their personal, home and professional lives, which illustrates the vital role of EI in their lives in general and at workplace in particular. The current dissertation investigated the moderating role of job characteristics in relation to emotional intelligence and performance. Employees’ EI was measured by utilizing a 33 items scale, while performance was assessed through a 16 items scale that measured their organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The study comprised of two phases; a pilot study and the main study. For the main study, questionnaires were completed by 444 participants employed in private sector organizations. The moderating role of job characteristics was assessed by applying general linear model analysis and step-wise multiple regression analysis. Results showed a positive association between emotional intelligence and performance. It was established that employees’ performance can be significantly predicted based upon their EI scores. It was established further that job characteristics like autonomy and internal interaction moderate the EI-performance relationship. The predictive ability of EI for performance suggests the use of the EI measure as a selection tool by the human resource managers and its potential as a proactive measure to reduce employee turnover. Key words: Occupational Psychology, Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, Employee Selection, Moderating Role, Emotional Intelligence, Job Performance, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Job Characteristics, Autonomy, Internal Interaction, External Interaction