AN ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL DIVERSITY OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Purpose of the study: This study intends to demonstrate the importance of sub-provincial variation in women empowerment in Punjab, Pakistan. Methodology: The study used the Cumulative Women Empowerment Index (CWEMI) for three regions of Punjab Pakistan, using primary data of 950 respondents. The data is obtained through multistage stratified cluster sampling techniques from Upper, Central, and Southern Punjab based on the prevalence of female literacy rate. The statistical technique namely Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) has been used to make the comparison on a regional and dimensional basis. Main Findings: The result of the study shows that there exits substantial sub-provincial variation in upper, central, and southern Punjab regarding different domains of women empowerment. Applications of this study: This study identifies the regional diversity in women empowerment in Punjab, Pakistan. The results of the study provide guidelines to the policymakers in formulating appropriate policies for eliminating diversity in women empowerment in different regions of Punjab, Pakistan. Novelty/Originality of this Study: Improvement in women empowerment is regarded as an essential human right and sustainable development goals that needs appropriate monitoring. The majority of previous studies have tried to measure women's empowerment through developing several indices but these indices appear insufficient to meet the international standards. The present study is an attempt to track multiple domains of women empowerment through CWEMI. The results of the study may bring up a status of women empowerment across different regions of Punjab, Pakistan.