Asian Research Thesis Index

Abstract

he study explores perceptions of parents and girls about girls' education. The participants belong to a slum area, Gareeb Abad of Karachi. The only source of earning in the community is burning the dumped garbage to find valuables which they sell to earn some income. This study was conducted under qualitative research paradigm. Focus group discussions and individual interviews were the main data collection methods. Two groups participated in the study; one group had parents who sent their daughters to school and the girls who were going to school. The other group included parents who did not send their daughters to school and the girls who were not going to school. However, the findings of the study revealed very little difference in the two groups' perceptions about girls' education. The study found that the parents and girls know the usefulness of girls' education. However, they interpreted girls' education to improve girls' efficiency in their future role as wives and mothers. Parents' and girls' perceptions about why not educating girls emerged as a strong theme of the study. Poverty along with patriarchal structure of society influenced parents' and girls' views about importance of girls' education. The study found that parents felt investment in girls' education would not bear them any return as they would be eventually leaving their parents after marriage. Furthermore, grown up girls' independent mobility for schooling was also seen by parents as risking family honour. This conception also leads to early marriages in this community. For girls, early marriage was their conformity to parents as they did not see any other reason for early marriages. The study found community has been living in a semi-nomadic life to earn their living. The garbage, according to governments' instruction, is buried which deprived the residents from their livelihood. Now many of these residents are compelled to move to the areas where garbage is still available. This move also takes parents and girls away from school leading to diminishing prospects of girls getting any education.

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