Indigenous practices of Women for Sustainability: A QDA based Word-Cloud Analysis

Abstract

Women anywhere have since times immemorial have played a central role in human development, nurturing, training and raising families. Majority of the core values that are directly or indirectly instilled in humans come from mothers. These values help shape us into who we are, what we think and act like and how we behave throughout our lives. Since the induction of capitalistic school of thought for valuation of everything this major role has been buried under the layers upon layers of materialistic calculations. A world where do-it-yourself-activities are not included in GDP calculations and where we have lost touch to our inner selves due to over dependence on logical positivism, contributions both in the emotional and qualitative sense done for the community by the women in different roles they play have been underrepresented and over shadowed. This is led us to disconnect from very impressive role they played in keeping the society inclusive, caring, and kind. Main objective of the research was to gather via participatory approach, contribution sources, depth and intensity for sustainable socioeconomic development of society done by the women. Over 60 ethnographic interviews were done across Punjab, Pakistan to enlist areas of contribution by the women for the society. This qualitative analysis consisted of transcription, coding, categorization, interpretation and triangulation. Results are a beautiful spectrum of contributions from emotional, financial, social, political, psychological as well as entrepreneurial fronts. From kitchens to playgrounds, from morning till night there is a never ending flow of value which is overshadowed, if channelized can lead to breaking barriers in all domains of life.

Keywords

• Women inclusion
• community empowerment
• ethnographic research
• Participatory approach
• Sustainability.

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