Navigating Cultural and Economic Barriers to Girls’ Education in Rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: A Qualitative Study of Female Agency

This qualitative study explores how girls and their female relatives in rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa navigate barriers to schooling stemming from cultural norms, economic constraints, and institutional conditions in Pakistan. Conducted in Mardan, this research employed a phenomenological approach based on the analytical concept of negotiated (contractual) agency to examine how girls and their female relatives navigate educational constraints within the frameworks of family and societal expectations. Data were collected via semi-structured Pashto interviews and field observations with girls aged 13–18 years and their mothers and grandmothers from 20 families. The thematic analysis, based on Braun and Clarke’s six-stage model, examined the participants’ agency, emotions, and structural barriers. The findings show that while women face patriarchal norms, limited job options, and restricted mobility, they also express regret, hope, and resistance in their narratives. Some women demonstrated initiative through negotiation and informal education. Attending to these emotional narratives and community strategies may help inform context-sensitive approaches to educational reform.