Children’s perception of social boundaries: The intersectionality of age and social group affiliation in rural Pakistan

Abstract

This study explores how children perceive social boundaries in rural Pakistan. It discusses that children develop and navigate their social relationships through their perception of social boundaries, which are shaped by kinship and sociospatial organisation in rural areas. Children's perception of social boundaries is also mediated through the intersectionality of their age and social group affiliation. An ethnographic case study of a village in Southern Punjab, Pakistan, is presented here. It uses a quantifiable photo‐elicitation technique and social mapping to analyse children's everyday mobilities and intersectionality in the cultural context of rural Pakistan to illustrate their perception of social boundaries.

Out‐of‐school time use in Pakistan: A qualitative study featuring youth's voices

“…Furthermore, concerns about sexual harassment and assault against young girls and women in public spaces are widespread and receive the most media coverage among all child protection issues in Pakistan (Jabeen, 2014). Hence, while boys are commonly permitted to socialize in a public sphere from an early age (Ahmed & Zaman, 2019; Mughal, 2021), adolescent girls are often relegated to the private sphere where they can be better protected. A recent study from Pakistan which recorded children's discussions of their safety and agency corroborated our findings (Ahmed et al., 2022).…”

“…Of note, work responsibilities were more often mentioned by rural than urban participants, reflecting a resource gap for alternative activities (e.g., academic or tuition classes, and organized sports) which tend to be costly and occur in urban club settings which are non‐existent in rural areas in Pakistan. Hence, opportunities for extracurricular and recreational programs during OST need to be addressed particularly for marginalized youth in rural contexts in Pakistan (Jabeen, 2009; Jamil, 2021; Mughal, 2021).…”

“…Calls to research into children's lives and time use in Pakistan grew in the 1990s due to concerns about child labor (Jabeen, 2009). The last couple of decades have been marked by economic, and political, turmoil, and the social problems faced by children and youth in the country have been emphasized (Ahmed & Zaman, 2019; Mughal, 2021). Strength‐based research focusing on the positive development and wellbeing of children and youth in Pakistan is more important than ever.…”