Examining Evolving Gender Roles in Pakistan: A Study on Career Aspirations and Choices

This research investigates the transformative shifts in global gender roles, emphasizing the context of Pakistan and their impact on women's emancipation and liberalization. Thestudy, based on a sample of 112 intermediate students (56 males, 56females), employs the Islamic Attitude Towards Women Scale(IAWS)and Career Aspirations Scale(CAS). Career choices are categorized into traditional and non-traditional roles, aligning with male-dominated and female-dominated occupations and elicited through semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that men exhibit more conservative gender role attitudes and lower career aspirations compared to women. Notably, women tend to opt for non-traditional, male-dominated careers. The study identifies a positive correlation between egalitarian gender role attitudes, heightened career aspirations, and non-traditional career choices for both genders. The findings contribute to understanding the evolving gender roles in Pakistani society, shedding light on the connection between career aspirations and the social emancipation of women.