Social Impact of the Gender Related Pashto Proverbs on the Life of Pashtun Woman

Abstract

Proverbs are a genre of the folk literature of any language and these are also a social discourse. As a social discourse, this genre has, through the use of language sustained the stereotypical image of woman. Through the stereotypical image of woman, the status quo about the inferiority of woman and the superiority of man has been maintained. Pashto sexist proverbs portray woman as weaker in faculties and potentials. For instance, woman has been projected by these proverbs as lacking in decision-making, intellect, leadership qualities, management skills and so on. On the basis of these weaker faculties, she has been excluded from the public and social sphere, which restricts her to the limited domain of the household. Woman through the discourse of proverbs, which is the cultural and traditional truth, has accepted the negative traits about herself as the only truth. In fact, she has also become the promoter of negative discourses about her own gender, depictive of her compliance to the traditional truth about her own gender. In short, it can be assumed that discrimination, exploitation, inequality and injustice towards woman has continued and she has submitted to it as her only fate. This article has critically analyzed the impact of all those proverbs, which have affected the social life of woman. The social impact of this discourse on her life is also reflective of the fact that language has been utilized as a tool for the exploitation of woman and so, in a similar way it can be utilized for the deconstruction of the negative discourses, which will open a way for her progress and advancement.