Feminist Pedagogies and Gender Sensitive Teaching Practices in Pakistani Higher Education

Abstract

This study has been designed to explore the role of feminist pedagogies and gender sensitive teaching practices in changing higher education in Pakistan. Drawing on a qualitative inquiry design, it analyzes published research articles and policy documents extracted from reputable academic catalogues using content analysis. The findings reveal that responsiveness of gender equality has been increasing in higher education discourse, the integration of feminist pedagogical principles including as reflexivity, inclusivity, and empowerment remains partial. Teaching practices and curricula continue to reflect androcentric biases and patriarchal norms, with few institutional initiatives aimed at promoting gender sensitive pedagogy. The study identifies lack of faculty training, cultural resistance, and institutional inertia as major barriers to implementation. Further, theoretical insights from critical pedagogy and feminist, particularly the works of hooks, Freire, and Bourdieu, claim how education serves as a site of power relations and potential transformation. The study clinches that adopting contextually pertinent feminist pedagogies enhance student engagement, gender equity, and critical consciousness within Pakistan’s higher education institutions and other similar developing settings.