Women’s Self-Representation in Pashto Gender Proverbs: A Critical Sociolinguistic and Feminist Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Pashto proverbs are a vital component of Pashtun cultural heritage, and they carry out the traditional knowledge, social values, and expectations of daily language. Gender-related proverbs serve as an instrument for the study of the representation of women in the family, marriage, social position, household life, and cultural standards. This article investigates how women are represented in Pashto gender proverbs by a qualitative study on the basis of secondary sources. The article employs critical analysis of sociolinguistic and feminist discourse to explore the  relationship between language, gender identity, and patriarchal social expectations. The discussion will look at ways in which proverbial expressions can reinforce traditional gender roles, convey social perspectives, and reflect broader cultural assumptions. It also distinguishes the representation of women in proverbial language from their own self-representation, acknowledging that textual representations cannot automatically be regarded as evidence of women's personal experiences or beliefs. The paper argues that looking at gender proverbs can help understand the relationship between language and how cultural transmission and gender relations flow in Pashtun society. Given that the study was based on secondary sources, the study's findings are interpretative rather than the original findings of the interview/fieldwork.