PERCEPTION OF WORKING WOMEN ABOUT GENDER DISPARITY IN UNIVERSITIES OF PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Gender disparity is a serious issue in higher education systems, which has an impact on workplace experiences and opportunities. The current study explored the perceptions of working women about gender disparity in public and private universities of Punjab, Pakistan. The research design used was quantitative approach with cross sectional design. The sample consisted of 341 respondents who were interviewed using a pre-coded interview schedule and the data were analyzed by SPSS Version 27 with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that there were significant relationships between all the variables studied. The Awareness of Government Initiatives had a strong negative relationship (r = -0.726, p < 0.001) while the Working Women Behavior and Attitude towards Gender Disparity (r = 0.433, p < 0.001) and Social, Cultural and Religious Factors (r = 0.600, p < 0.001) had a significant positive relationship. In the regression model, Perception of Gender Disparity at Workplace (R² = 0.734) accounted for 73.4% of the variance. Awareness of Government Initiatives was found to be the most powerful predictor (β = -0.558, p < 0.001) followed by Social, Cultural and Religious Factors (β = 0.410, p < 0.001) and Working Women Behavior and Attitude towards Gender Disparity (β = 0.192, p < 0.001). The study results indicate that institutional awareness, workplace experiences and socio-cultural factors play a considerable role in perceptions of workplace gender disparity. The results confirm the need to raise awareness and ensure equitable practices in the workplace to foster gender inclusive universities.