The Stigma Matrix: Gender, Globalization, and the Agency of Pakistan's Frontline Women

Fauzia Husain's book "The Stigma Matrix" explores the experiences of policewomen, lady health workers, and airline attendants, who are pulled into the public sphere by neoliberal policies and gender mainstreaming policies. She finds that inclusion requires more than quotas or special seats and advances critical feminist and sociological frameworks on stigma and agency.

Format: Hardback
Length: 306 pages
Publication date: 30 January 2024
Publisher: Stanford University Press

As developing states embrace neoliberal policies, an increasing number of working-class women find themselves drawn into the public sphere. Caught in the grip of a privatizing and unstable job market, they are coerced into wage work. Moreover, gender mainstreaming policies, which developing states are compelled to adopt to secure transnational aid, further propel them into public roles. While their integration into the political economy brings significant benefits to society, the question arises: Is it also advantageous for women?

In her book "The Stigma Matrix," Fauzia Husain delves into the experiences of policewomen, lady health workers, and airline attendants, all frontline workers who assist the Pakistani state and its global allies in addressing, surveilling, and disciplining veiled women citizens. Husain's findings reveal that the inclusion of these women into public life is far more complex than mere quotas or special seats. This book offers critical feminist and sociological frameworks on stigma and agency, demonstrating that both concepts are composed of multiple layers of meaning and are intricately intertwined with elite projects of hegemony.

Through the narratives of the three groups examined by Husain, it becomes evident that inclusion demands a holistic approach that goes beyond mere tokenism. It requires a concerted effort to challenge and dismantle the systemic barriers and prejudices that perpetuate gender inequality. This book serves as a valuable contribution to the ongoing discourse on stigma and agency, shedding light on the intricate interplay between these concepts and their impact on the lives of women and society as a whole.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503632370