This paper aims at evaluating the perceptions of men regarding women participation informal job marketplace in the district of Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan. Major research question for this work is how men perceive the involvement of women participation in formal job marketplace. Data was collected in three selected villages of sub-division Dargai, District Malakand from a sample of 150 respondents. The targeted respondents, purposively selected, were comprised of students, teachers, religious scholars and NGO workers of age group 20–60. A structured questionnaire based on five pointsLikert scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree; was used as a tool of data collection. Respondents view was taken on three selected subjects such as theirperceptions regarding women's participation, effects of women participation on their household, socialand personal endowments. Each subject was analyzed through different numbers of research items. It was found that a spatial and social separation of women from formal job marketplace is deeply imbedded in male perceptions, patriarchal values, norms and belief system. Women participation in development activities is perceived against men's honor and religious norms. Women traditional role of caring children is favored and majority of men perceived that women's participationis a threat for their safety. Moreover, men perceive that women involvement in outdoor work curtail their overall social status including their marriage market qualities. It is concluded that some peculiar male perceptions are overtly resistingwomen participation in formal job marketplace.
Job Market place, Participation, Social Separation, Patriarchy, Gender Role, Social Status
