Employment Preferences and Career Prospects among Female Madrassah Students: A Case of District Karak, Pakistan

Abstract

This study investigates the employment preferences and career prospects of female madrassa students in District Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. The research aims to explore the factors influencing female students’ choices among government, private, self-employment, and non-governmental organization (NGO) sectors and madrassa teaching. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 410 respondents through a structured questionnaire, and analysis was conducted using multinomial logistic regression through STATA. The results reveal that education level, parental attitude, career guidance, and madrassa education significantly affect employment preferences. Specifically, higher education increases the likelihood of choosing government and self-employment sectors, and supportive parental attitudes and career guidance positively influence students’ decision-making. Nonetheless, it was revealed that socioeconomic status and income had a minor effect on the results. The research asserts that educational attainment and parental guidance are the main factors determining the career paths of girls attending madrassas. Still, their chances of getting jobs are decreased due to limited access to professional training and the absence of a job-oriented syllabus. Hence, the authorities need to include vocational and modern education in the madrassa curricula if they want to improve girls' students' employability and career readiness. One of the major drawbacks of this research is the lack of an extensive examination of the madrassa curriculum, which still has to be elaborated into a significant area for future studies.