Gender, work and development in northwest Pakistan: working environments of Pakistani female development practitioners

The research identifies the development sector as a complex and often contested work environment. Many local residents perceive ‘development’ as an instrument of the ‘West’ for pursuing its interests, and they are thus generally wary of development practitioners and organisations. A rising number of verbal and physical attacks in the late 2000s have affected the work of many development practitioners. Besides the resistance to development as a ‘Western’ ideology, there is also a widespread need for and interest in material benefits, which complicates development practitioners’ work further. When social organisers go to communities, they are supposed to select and support villages, communities and individuals that need developing. In a village, however, there are usually different voices that claim the right to development. The findings of the present study show that villagers variably draw on social categories such as development status, clan membership or gender to convince (potential) development practitioners of their eligibility for material benefits. Furthermore, an analysis of job announcement for social organisers shows that job qualifications are high (e.g. for language skills and willingness to work in a mixed-gender working environment) and the rewards (e.g. wages and social recognition) are low. For women in particular, it is difficult to present the requisite skills, since social values and norms regarding gender discriminate against women in areas such as access to information, ability to travel, and eligibility for employment in general.