SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF PAKISTAN

SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF PAKISTAN

According to most definitions, a social problem is a harmful social condition, according to the beliefs and values of some influential or dominant group in the society. A harmful social condition becomes a social problem when a social need persists over some time and is not provided for because there are a number of competing needs while the proposed budget is not sufficient to cater for all of them. Thus social problems involve social issues. Sociological approaches to social problems usually involve research to determine the causes of social problems and the effectiveness of policies or programs in attempting to solve them.

Pakistan is a third world country, and like any other country its inhabitants have needs which need to be fulfilled.

And the three basic are: food, shelter, and education. When these needs are not fulfilled they become social problems. Pakistan, being a poor country is facing many problems which includes governance, corruption, shortage of resources. .

1. Land reforms

2. Bad governance

3. Corruption

4. Illiteracy /Education

5. Health

6. Poverty

7. Agriculture

Education

61.2% of Pakistan illiterate

50.0% male illiteracy

75.6% female illiteracy

Limits opportunities of women

Women don't enter workforce

Poorly educated about family planning

No control of population

Perhaps the greatest loss comes in the area of education. Whether or not this is a direct result of Pakistan's economic problems, it is undoubtedly connected. With so many resources directed towards the aforementioned debt payment, educational improvements are given and inordinately low priority. In addition, Musharraf's military dictatorship has understandably not placed great emphasis on education in Pakistan. This is evident upon examination of Pakistan's overall literacy rate of 37.8% (50% for men and 24.4% for women). Literacy being defined as those over 15 who can read and write.

In terms of population, low literacy rates are often observed with high population growth. A poorly educated population is unlikely to participate in family planning or any other form of population control. Secondarily, a poorly educated populace makes Pakistan a poor choice for the foreign investors that it so desperately needs. Furthermore, the extremely low literacy rate among Pakistani women (24.4%) lends itself to a society where most women never enter the labor force, creating less incentives for them to limit the size of their families. This is best illustrated by the fact that only 38 million of Pakistan's 141 million people make up the entire labor force.

Poverty

Uneducated population unattractive to foreign　 business

Difficult to recruit foreign businesses

Only 38 million of 142 million make up work force

7% unemployment, but 34% of people in poverty

No foreign investment

Pakistan remains poor

Deeply linked to the massive debt　and poorly educated people, is the large portion of Pakistan's population that lives in poverty. With an average of 2,000 dollars of GDP per person (adjusted for purchasing power parity), the average citizen is forced to live off very limited resources. This is reflected in the fact that 34% of the population lives below the poverty line, despite a mere 7% unemployment.　 Pakistan's lack of fiscal resources is yet another barrier against foreign investment.　 Without foreign investment, Pakistan lacks the resources to bring about positive economic development.　 Without positive economic development, Pakistan is unable to attract foreign investors