Exploring the Representation of Gender Roles and Patriarchal Norms in Pakistani Society through a Feminist Lens: A Critical Analysis of Shazaf Fatima Haider’s Novel “How It Happened” (2012)

Abstract

The study has been carried out to evaluate Shazaf Fatima Haider’s novel “How It Happened” in order to examine the impact of socially and culturally imposed gender norms on the lives of women in Pakistan, as well as the role of matriarchy in oppressing women. The research approach employed for this study is qualitative, involving the collection of pertinent information from academic journals, textbooks, and online resources. The gathered text has undergone meticulous examination using the approach of close textual analysis. In the pertinent chapters, the material has been gathered and organized into contrasted categories. The selected text has been analyzed using the sociological theory of Gender Socialization, which serves as the theoretical framework. The present study aims to enhance comprehension of how Pakistani authors see the overarching notion of gender roles in Pakistani culture. Society and culture exert significant influence on women’s lives through the imposition of socially and culturally established gender standards. The impact of gender stereotypes on women’s life varies and detrimentally affects their mental well-being. In addition, the matriarch (Dadi) in the given literature assumes the position of a patriarch and imposes socially and culturally defined gender norms on the women within a particular family setting. The study examines the strategies employed by the matriarchs to subdue other women.