Backlash and Challenges Faced by Pakistani Women who Harbor Interest in STEM Education

The rapid shift in technology after globalization left its impact on every domain including education. In such advanced times, the need to acquire STEM education has become more imperative due to its vast real-world applicability. STEM education refers to acquiring knowledge and learning in the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Although, STEM education is gaining traction world-wide through a blend of formal, informal, national, and private–sector; but there is still a visible gender disparity in attaining STEM education, specifically for girls. This disparity is even more pronounced in developing and under-developed countries. Due to limited scope of this paper we will narrow down our research to the region of Pakistan. This essay will unveil the challenges that women have to endure if they want to pursue STEM subjects. Secondly, it will examine the factors that contribute in gender disparity while choosing STEM subjects. In addition, the essay aims to seek possible solutions to bridge this gender gap by breaking the stereotypes. Lastly, we shall explore future prospects of STEM education in Pakistani region followed by closing arguments. This study will also enumerate Judith Butler’s theoretical contributions in the second and third sections in comprehending how gender roles are shaped by society and culture in Pakistan. Moreover, the essay will also critically evaluate Butler’s work on the grounds that whether her post-cultural theory is applicable to Pakistani educational System or not.