Social and Societal Context of Women’s Mental Health, What Women Want, What They Get: Gap Analysis in Pakistan of Mental Health Services, Polices and Research

Abstract

It's no bed of roses! Pakistan is a country with a predominantly Muslim population, which has divisions based on religious sects, class and ethnicity (some prefer to call themselves 'nations') residing in urban, rural and mountainous areas of Pakistan. The rural areas can be further demarcated according to different ecological zones of the country—dry and arid, desert, riverine, coastal, to name some important regions. Pakistani society is deeply stratified. There are the rich and the very rich, the poor and the very poor, and the middle class with some variations within it. It embodies a pluralism that is held together by a constitution that acknowledges equality of all citizens but endorses some discriminatory laws that impact women negatively. It has conflicting ideologies—witii capitalism as the primary development paradigm, but systematically and consistently critiqued by socialist-oriented individuals and groups. Whereas constitutionally there is right to life, to education, and medical care, ground realities present a different picture. State expenditure on the social sector remains abysmally low, the military and debt servicing consume most of the budget. On the one hand, Pakistan is a nuclear country and has developed a nuclear programme as a deterrent to India's nuclear power; on the other hand, poverty continues to be a major challenge. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)