Abstract:
Advocates of Neoliberalism contend for minimum state role in economic domains leaving the
marginalized strata’s, classes and “second” gender (female) concerned. On the other hand, in tradition
oriented societies state efforts to engineer social relations are contested by the custodians of tradition.
In Neoliberal age women participation in public sphere is the need of time. Women entery in economic
sphere makes them prone to workplace structural violence and multiple roles strain. Hence, an active
state role to protect the weak, underdeveloped and deprived “Sex”, and to create equitable gender roles
in both private and public aspects of life is required. The paper reflects on vital questions about state
role from the perspective of gender. To what extent state can penetrate in lived experience of women
beings to protect them in work and family spaces from male beings (Feminist theorists like Charlotte
Hooper contest the universal notion of “human” and divides them into male and female beings based
on their diverse experience as living beings as well as the conflicting interests they represent in day to
day life. (Hooper, 2001)) and influence and transform the most personal levels of gender relations; in
context that gender roles are guarded and protected by the custodians of tradition? The study is
normative in content and methodology of qualitative analysis is employed to critically evaluate the
impact of state legislative (Punjab Women Protection Laws 2014 and 2016 initiated by Punjab
Commission on Status of Women (PCSW) reforms initiated by ‘Women Policy Agencies’ (national
and provincial) on women lives. The technique of “Gap Analysis” is used to understand the gap between
the intended and present scenarios. A core finding of the research is that Pakistani state is acting as
custodian of women rights but state reforms are contested in society. State initiated reforms like
empowerment bills (Women empowerment packages presented by Punjab government in 2012, 2014
and 2016) and packages have stirred the status quo of tradition and practical steps are taken to remove
gender inequality in private as well as public sphere. Though the study concludes that equity between
genders is still a perceived utopia but state feminist policies can be considered as first step towards the
ideal.
