The Cultural Context of Women's Productive Invisibility: A Case Study of a Pakistani Village,

Ibraz, T.S.
Pakistan Development Review, Volume 32, No. 1, Spring 1993

This paper is an anthropological research conducted in Rajpur- a village in Punjab. It shows that women participate substantially in productive activities geared directly or indirectly towards producing utilities which are either income generating or expenditure saving. Women are extensively involved in poultry, agriculture and livestock tending as well as handicrafts, whereas men are working in the cities. The objective for both is extra cash, however women's contribution to this goes unrecognized within the larger cultural scenario. Women are projected as homemakers and restricted within the private domain. The concept of purdah and segregation of sexes serve as effective cultural devices acting as blinders to women's productive role. This paper contends that this phenomenon of women's invisibility in the economic sphere reflects cultural values and not a social fact.

Key words: Economic, Productive Activities, Income Generation, Cultural Values, Social Fact, and Private Domain.