Educated wives in demand in Pakistan: Gallup Poll
In the survey, a nationally representative sample of men and women from across the country were asked the following question:
In terms of education, when you select a proposal (for a wife) how much would you prefer for an educated one?
In response to this, 41% of Pakistan’s male population answered the question with "highly prefer" and 42% answered it with "modestly prefer." Only 10% disregarded the importance of education and said that they would be content with an uneducated wife, while 7% did not give a view.
The recent survey was carried out among a sample of 1508 men of various age groups in rural and urban areas of all four provinces of the country, during September 18 to September 24, 2011.
Error margin is estimated to be approximately + 2-3 per cent at 95% confidence level.
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Education is not just attending a school and university. It is also a mindset. A strong need and will to communicate and socialize with others to gain new knowledge and idea and different perception. For this to happen you need diversity to increase your intellect and gather new ideas. If you are surrounded by masses with same exact idea as yours and who has very same approach and perception of life, what new would you learn ?? so when a groom demands of padee leekhee ladkeee, what he is loking for ? Someone who is absolutely bookworm who has mugged up every book since 1st grade to get Phd but no brain to apply that knowledge ? Or someone who has a good sense of rationale thinking and open minded ness which help them learn new things each and every day? An open mind , a liberal mind is more porous to absorb new ideas, a closed mind or fanatic mind is stone which can neither take in anything nor contribute to whats going in that so called "brain" of theirs. I guess I am going tangential with the topic. but if this news is true, it is absurd and false generalization of an isolated incident.
@Infinity: It's an excellent point. "Parhay likhay jahil" are a big problem.
But the important thing is that the people with whom she is going to be with are also educated then she will be respected otherwise not. educated means truly educated not "parhay likhay jahil"
Most of these men want educated wives who can make good rotis and produce offspring . They wont educated wives though possibly cuz it will help them saving up tuition costs during inflation.
@waseem: what the hell is the point if you're not going to use your education. do you know how many seats are filled in universities by smart girls (meaning others don't get seats, because of the lack of educational institutions) who then don't do anything with their education?
There are some types of gaps in this research. It did not distinguishes the behaviour of rural-urban regions of Pakistan. Moreover, survey should incorporate what the women prefer.
An educated and empowered woman is an asset to any society. Look at the arab countries. They have oil wealth but need expatriates and westerners for keeping their country going. They are not self sufficient and will never become self sufficient until they tap the resourses of their entire citizens including women. Now look at Israel. A tiny nation surrounded by enemies. How did Israel become a developed nation? Judaism is also very conservative like Islam and jewish women like muslim women used to be home makers than working women. But necessity is the mother of all inventions. To survive in the midst of enemies, Israel had to use the potentials of all its citizens including women. They understood the power of women. In Israel, women have equal status and are required to serve in the military. Science and technology are given equal importance along with religion. Most nobel prize winners are Jewish (men and women). When muslims consider education for women as status symbols, jews educate their women and use their potential and intelligence for survival and also for uplifting their society. Not including women in the work force is like not using one side of your brain. Now you know why there is one jew to 100 muslims and the jews reign the world! You may not like it but there are lessons you can learn from your enemies.
Disclaimer: Gallup Pakistan is not related to Gallup Inc. headquartered in Washington D.C. USA. We require that our surveys be credited fully as Gallup Pakistan (not Gallup or Gallup Poll). We disclaim any responsibility for surveys pertaining to Pakistani public opinion except those carried out by Gallup Pakistan, the Pakistani affiliate of Gallup International Association. For details on Gallup International Association see website: www.gallup-international.com
@waseem: What good is education if it is not used to serve society? It's understood that when one gains knowledge, one would like to use it to help others, and deploying one's knowledge and skills at work is the best and most practical way of serving society. If someone obtains a degree in medicine, accountancy, engineering, journalism, sociology, etc. and then does not work, it would be a terrible and cruel waste. Why are so apprehensive of the idea of educated women working?
Of course, there are always exceptions to a rule, but generally, Pakistani men are control freaks. When they are young adults, they suppress their mothers and sisters. When they are older and get married, they suppress their wives. Later in their lives, they suppress their daughters and/or daughters-in-law. I guess it is now fashionable to suppress educated women. After all, what's the fun in suppressing an uneducated wife? She wouldn't know much anyway. I guess Pakistani men are really moving up in their thought processes. But it wouldn't be progress until and unless Pakistan's women develop independence in their own thought processes and stop acting like their men's properties. It doesn't mean they will become bad wives. A person with self-esteem makes a great spouse, and self-esteem comes from being free but fair, not from being either a perpetrator or a victim of suppression. Siddique Malik, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Interesting Survey!! By the way, some time back when I had posted this question on facebook, the result was quite different.
Though I believe, instead of asking the young men, they should ask their mothers if they want "educated" bahus ???
@SG: Surely you mean a 'YES WOMAN'.
@Ram Bharose Singh: it depends district wise like in rawalpindi district literacy rate among women is high and in fata is very low
@sania: agree, u presented logical argument.
Now why am I not surprised reading most of the comments posted in response to the article !!!!!!!!! Did Gallup first define what is meant by an educated wife?? because if they had , poll results would have been on the contrary... I consider myself to be one of the few fortunate girls who are born and brought up in Pakistan with alot of dignity and self respect ,in a family where education is not only limited to one's academic qualifications.However unfortunately for most Men in our society and their famililies , education is only limited to the degree & academic qualification of a girl... Men & their families want their son to marry a doctor , engineer etc but nobody is interested in a girl who knows what rights religion has given her or she has as a human being..someone who knows the difference between right and wrong and is not scared of voicing her opinion...Most Men in our society prefer to marry girls whose degrees they can showoff and at the the same time expect these girls to never standup for their dignity or demand for what is their right. They are simply expected to be docile & dumb in literal sense of the word... We need to wake up and realise that an educated woman in its true literal sense , can not only raise a family in a much better manner but also contribute positively toward the development of society.
@M.A.S: Did you say "13 different freedom struggles are already on there peak"? I must say I was thrilled to read that. Despite such an appalling state of affairs, my country is not doing too badly. But if this is the 'peak', I can only look forward to better times ahead. I wish your own country the best of luck. You have nowhere near 13 freedom struggles. I believe that number is 3. Good for you.
It is very easy to say yes to wanting an educated wife, on paper, but when it comes to the reality of living with one, most men, even educated ones, cannot deal with it. They don't like being given an opinion that doesn't matches theirs. They don't like hearing a no. They just want a yes-man! A paper survery does not necessarily represent reality!
Female literacy rate in pakistan is very low it would be about 30%-40% Anyway husbands don't want educated wifes they just want religious, khidmatguzar, obidient, white skinned wifes who they could boast about to the society. And if she is educated even better Parents also let their daughters study because it increases their value in the rishta market. Very few people want their daughters to study so they can have a career or a professional life. That is why the number of working women in pakistan is about 4%.
@Lee P Islam does not forbid women from getting educated. I recommend you to 'get to know basics of Islam'
if this is true then why divorce ratio increasing rapidly
Lee, your information is not correct. Islam does not forbid women to get education. My humble request is that you read translation of Quran to find-out more about Islam and its principles. Best wishes;
SURVEY LACKS IN SOME POINTS. FOR EVERY PAKISTANI MEN(EDUCATED OR UNEDUCATED) THE FIRST PRIORITY IS ALWAYS A FAIR COMPLEXION BEAUTIFUL WOMEN, THEN COMES THE EDUCATION. MEANS BEAUTY+EDUCATION.
@Ram Bharose Singh Save ur own land first where 13 different freedom struggles are already on there peak, and it's not late when ur country would be into 14 different pieces. This is a Pakistani forum catering a highly intellect readership. It's not for those who can speak english but fail to understand the ground realities.
Anyways; an educated mother do make a difference! Woman is not only to sit at home and cook food etc. She has million of other things to do. If she is well educated and enlightened, she is surely going to make a big big difference at home and in the society.
and educated men love staying un-married :P
How to resolve this conundrum? On the one hand, the religion forbids women from getting educated and on the other hand, Muslim men prefer educated women. This is a royal standoff.
@Ram Bharose Singh: Please mind your own business. This is a Pakistani newspaper catering to a Pakistani readership you would do all of us a favour by looking at your own country first.
The thing that comes to my mind is how many of these men would actually let their wives work or do they just want an educated wife to raise their children better. I think it's the latter which is not really too great ( in my personal opinion)
Has any one surveyed, how many girls want an educated husband. What is the male literacy rate in Pakistan anyway?
The would-be grooms should request Taliban to stop blowing up girls' schools otherwise there will constant shortage of edcuated wives.
a survey, really? but that's so obvious o.O
What is the percent of literate females in Pakistan?
In some of the expensive, private schools of Lahore girls are placed in arranged marriage before finishing secondary education. This stands as proof that private school education is seen as a 'selling point' for girls' status. Husbands may not want a liberally educated, outspoken wife ready to work and make a positive impact on the world, but they want the wife who is branded with status symbols: the cars owned by her parents, the designer labels she wears, and the school she attended before being guarded away in marital purdah.
Don't be fooled. Most married, educated women in Pakistan have to settle for being socially acceptable, self-employed 'designers'.....God forbid our women have a satisfying career in a subject they love. That would threaten our (the husbands') own submission to study what we were told to by our parents.
How many married career women do you know outside of design: clothing, furniture, jewelry or leather; teaching or service projects? Of course a majority of Pakistani men want their women to be educated.....it is a status/money/power symbol to win one of these woman as a bride. Just do not confuse status with respect.
Majority is always right!!
This survey may not actually be as biased as you think. Families want 'educated' women when looking for proposals, doctors, teachers, etc are in high demand. But the catch is what they actually want from this 'educated' bahu, they want her to be educated because it may add to their social standing, or it may (or may not) help in the future child's upbringing - they don't want her to actually work and use her education... So at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter if they want 'educated' wives or not.
It's dramatic view, anyway i haven't taken part in this survey. Why i shouldn't be there,....
Perhaps the question should have been HOW educated do men they prefer their wives to be -more or less than them? :p
well they survey is biased! it should have been would you prefer to have a wife that cooks against one that is educated.
I don't doubt this survey as it has a name Gilani Research Foundation