Zia’s Islamization Policies and Women Education: Interplay of Ideology, Media and Law in Shaping Pakistani Women’s Access to Science and Technology

Abstract

This research study takes in to account the Islamization policies implemented by General Zia-ul-Haq and their widespread implications for Pakistani women in terms of their education and professional attainment. Convergence of Media, Academia and Justice system has been thoroughly assessed to understand their impact on the trajectory of Pakistani women’s pursuit of STEM education; while the laws implemented by the state institutions redefined their role in the society from being professionals to domesticated and ‘ideologically’ Islamic oriented beings. Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) has been implemented as the theoretical framework of this study, which highlights that policies of Islamization served as means for an ideological reformation of Pakistani society through education, legislations and media affecting the citizenship as well as the intellectual domain of women. Accessibility of women was marginalized in the professional domain, while their interest in STEM disciplines was overlooked undermining their potential and prospects in scientific fields. Overall, the education of women was transformed from science and technology to the realms of domestic and morality oriented disciplines. Policies of Islamization became a vehicle of sociocultural engineering in the institutional domain, which eventually led to long-term policy challenges for women in Pakistan, who intended to pursue higher education and professional excellence. This research study concludes that Islamization implemented by General Zia in media, education and lawfare domains subtly yet deeply impacted and hindered the long-term prospective growth of Pakistani women constituting 52% of the country’s population; while the institutionalized collaboration during those times facilitated in the widespread implementation of these policies. Qualitative research methods have been adopted to conduct this study.