Centre of Excellence in Gender Studies
Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad

Dr. Aisha Anees Malik

Director

Dr. Aisha Anees Malik

Director / Associate Professor

PHD, Development Studies, University of Cambridge.
M.Phil. University of Cambridge, UK
MBA Fatima Jinnah Women University
Phone: +92-51-90642041
Email: aamalik@qau.edu.pk
Status: On Job

.

  1. Khan, A & A. Malik, (2023). Women’s Unpaid Care Work in Urban Pakistan during COVID-19: Awakening Women’s Agency?, In Asian Women, Volume 39, Issue 2, pp. 93-114
  2. Ahmed, L & A.A. Malik , (2023). In Pursuit of Happiness: The Transformative Role of Rural Financing for Women in Nara Mughlan Village of Chakwal District in Pakistan. In Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, Volume 38, Issue 2, pp. 349-373
  3. Ul Haq, , S. Abid & A.A. Malik, (2023). Understanding Honour and Elopement Among the Pashtuns: A Study on Legal Pluralism. In Russian Law Journal, Volume XI, Issue 1, pp. 422- 434
  4. Zahoor, T & A.A. Malik, (2022). Rethinking the Concept of Economic Empowerment of Women from a South-Asian Perspective. In Indian Journal of Economics and Business, Volume 21, Issue 1, pp. 781-791.
  5. Malik A. (2022). Gendering the Diaspora: Experiences of British-Pakistani Muslim Women. In Journal of International Women Studies, Volume 23, August Issue 5, Article 14.
  6. Ahmed, L & A.A. Malik (2022). Microfinance and Women’s Empowerment: Exploring Gender-Power Dynamics in the Lives of Women Borrowers from Rural In Research Journal of Social Sciences and Economics Review, Volume 3, Issue 3, pp 29-35.
  7. Batool, & A. A. Malik (2021). Brining the Focus Back: Aurat March and the regeneration of feminism in Pakistan. In Journal of International Women Studies, Volume 22, Issue 9, pp 316-330.
  8. Malik A., T. Saba & S. Abid (2021). Abandoned and Destitute: A case study of divorced women residing in a welfare complex in Pakistan. In Pakistan Social Science Review, Volume 5-2, pp. 352-363.
  9. Malik A., H. Zafar & S. Abid (2021). Purdah, Mobility and Educational Opportunities for Women. In International Review of Social Sciences, Volume 9, Issue 3, pp 362-374.
  10. Shah A. & A. A. Malik (2021). Contestations and Transformations: The shared religious space of Jhule Lal in Sindh, Pakistan. In Grassroots, Volume 55, Issue 1, pp. 199-217.
  11. Abid S., S. Bibi & A. A. Malik (2021). Gender and Entrepreneurship: Women’s choice for self-employment. In International Review of Social Sciences, Volume 9, Issue 3, pp 375-386.
  12. Abid S., N. Liaquat & A. A. Malik (2021). On Being and Becoming Beautiful: The social construction of Feminine In Pakistan Social Science Review, Volume 5-2, pp. 403- 413.
  13. Malik, A. (2019). On the Margins – Women Workers and the Future of Work Narratives in Pakistan. Friedrich-Eburt Stiftung.
  14. Malik, A. (2019). Recreating Material Culture in Diaspora: Private and Social Worlds of British-Pakistani Muslim Women, Journal of Asian Civilizations, Volume 40, Issue 2, Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
  15. Malik, A.A. & S. Haider (2019). Role of Social Networking Sites in Fostering Active Citizenship in Pakistan: A study of Facebook users in Pakistan, Margalla Papers, Volume 23, Issue II, pp 195-205, National Defence University, Islamabad.
  16. Malik, A.A. (2018). Women’s Economic Empowerment sans Labour Rights: Inadvertent oversight or tacit omission. In Journal of Strategic Studies, Volume 38, Issue No pp.85-99. ISSI, Islamabad.2. Malik, A.A. & M. Aamir (Winter 2017).
  17. Malik, A. (2017). Gender and Nationalism: the political awakening of Muslim women of the Subcontinent. In Journal of Strategic Studies, Volume 37, Issue 2, pp1-16. Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, Pakistan.
  18. Malik, A.A. (2017). Muslim Women’s Support for Fundamentalism: Comparing Iran and Pakistan. In Regional Studies, Volume XXXV, Issue 2, pp 73-89. Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad, Pakistan.
  19. Malik, A. (2017). Hurdles in Women Development in Pakistan. In Margalla Papers, Volume 21, Issue 1, pp 61-72. National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
  20. Malik, A.A. (2016). Of Migration, Marriage and Men: Rethinking Masculinity of Transnational Husbands from Rural Pakistan. In Ozyegin Gul (ed.), Gender and Sexuality in Muslim Cultures, Routledge.

Newspaper Articles:

  1. Malik, A.A. (28-3-2018). Culture of Intolerance in Higher Institutes of Learning. The Nation, Islamabad.
  2. Malik, A.A. (Jan 2019). Women Behind Men in Uniform. Hilal for Her, ISPR, Islamabad.

Research and other Collaborative Projects

  1. September 2023 to January 2024

Gender Audit
Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
 
Lead researcher in conducting Gender Audit of the Quaid-i-Azam University for the calendar year 2023 mandated by the syndicate of the university which is a first in the country.

  1. June 2019 to June 2020

Women and the Future of Work Project

Freidrich Eburt Stiftung Asia

I was part of a two year project starting June 2019 funded by the FES Regional Office in Asia that aimed to look at the debates on how women in Asian countries will be affected by increased automation and digitalization of work. This project kicked-off with an international conference taking place in Bali, Indonesia 25th -28th June 2019 where I presented a paper.

Subsequently the subgroup I was part of is worked towards a webinar hosted on 22nd April 2020 titled, “The digital Economy in Asia – Feminist Perspectives” https://www.fes- asia.org/news/webinar-the-digital-economy-in-asia-feminist-perspectives/

  1. February 2017 to June 2019 Political Feminism in Asia Project Freidrich Eburt Stiftung Asia

It was a long running project that connected various teams throughout Asia facilitated by FES country offices. I was a member of both their national group as well as one out of four Pakistani women who then represented Pakistan on the regional group.

The national group met up a couple of times each year to charts out projects, publications and other gender transformative work that that could be supported by FES. Country studies on the past and present of feminism in Pakistan, India and China were commissioned under this project. Similarly, the regional group from members across all Asian countries meets once a year in a Futurelab to work on a parallel regional project. The idea was to provide national as well as regional platforms for critical debate and theory and create linkages between academia, industry, businesses, labour class women, media etc driven by political feminism. The group also explored agendas for economic equality and division of labour, while challenging the mainstream thinking within capitalism and neoliberalism.

As part of the regional group I authored a short story titled, “Wearing Off Harassment?” which was turned into a short animated film.

  1. January 2017

Organised a 3 day International PPGG-Research Methodology Expert Workshop supported by DAAD Academic Exchange Service and funded by German Foreign office titled, “Challenges of Researching on Conflict-induced Displacement and Migration in Europe and South Asia – Negotiating Space, Gender, Language, Volatilities and Hegemonies.”

  1. Feb 2016 to March 2019

Collaborative Research Partner with Hanns Seidel Foundation

I was a collaborating partner with the Hanns Seidel Foundation on a 3-year research project titled: Ideas, Issues and Challenges of Nation-Building in Pakistan. The project entails the following annually:

  1. Five QAU MPhil/PhD students and young faculty are funded for a research

  2. One International Conference

  3. One International Expert Workshop

  4. A guest lecture series every month of bi-weekly

6. June 2014

Lead Researcher

Empowerment of Women in SAARC Countries

Designing and conducting research on empowerment of women in the SAARC member states for SAARC Human Resource Development Centre.

  1. Dec 2011

Evaluation Consultant Care International, Pakistan. Mid-term Evaluation Survey 2011 conducted in ten districts over the four provinces of Pakistan titled, “Promoting Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in Pakistan.”

  1. Jan-Dec 2011

Independent Researcher

Secured a grant by SANAM (South Asian Network to Address Masculinities) for research on masculinities. Research Project titled, “Masculinities of Men in Transnational Marriages” conducted in the Pothohar region of Pakistan. Report available at http://www.engagingmen.net/resource/reports-fellows-sanam-fellowship-programme- understanding-masculinities-culture-politics-soc

M.Sc.

  1. Aimen Ayaz Durrani, 2021, Social Construction of Love conceptions of Romantic Love among young adult Men and women in Pakistan.

  2. Syeda Mujeeba Batool, 2020, Mera Jism Meri Marzi: Sexuality and moral construction of Pakistani society.

  3. Sakina Kanwal, 2018, Perceptions of Marriage Among Unmarried Women

  4. Mehnaz Hayat, 2017, Women Empowerment in Hunza : Study of Highly Education Women.

  5. Saba Fareed, 2017, Religious Practices and Rituals of Transgender Community

Conference Papers / Seminars / Workshops

December 8th, 2022

1. Setting the Stage: Walking through the Legislative and Policy Measures by the Government of Pakistan

Talk given on a one day workshop on “Awareness on Legislations Pertaining to Women & Minorities”organized by Freedom of Religion or Belief (FORB)

December 1st, 2022

1. Academic Institutions and Violence Against Women – A Overview

Talk delivered in a seminar, “Sympathy or Empathy: Elimination of Violence Against Women at Academic Institutions”organised by Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights and NIHCR, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

February 18th -19th 2019

1. Research Methodologies Workshop

1. Participated in a research methodologies workshop as part of a regional project on “Transformative Feminism – Feminist Perspectives on Future of Work” organized by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Asia.

2. I was invited as an expert to examine major challenges regarding “Future of Work” that are from a gender and/or feminist perspective and to contribute to a transnational exchange of ideas.

June 28th 2019

1. On the Margins – Women Workers from Pakistan and Future of Work Narratives

Paper presented in the “Kick off Conference – Building a Future for Everyone” organized by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Asia.

 Sep 29, 2016

1. Women’s Economic Empowerment sans Labour Rights: An inadvertent oversight or tacit omission?

Paper presented at the CEGS International Conference: Gender Knowledge in Pakistan: Production, Dissemination and Contestation held at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

Dec 8, 2015

1. Women Empowerment in SAARC Countries, what have we achieved?

Paper present at the 8th South Asia Economic Summit organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad in a panel titled, “Gender Equality and Empowering Women in South Asia”.

April 28, 2015

1. Women Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries

Paper Presented at a Seminar, Women’s Entrepreneurship, held at the Department of Management Sciences, National University of Modern Languages (NUML)

April 17, 2015

1. Gender Vulnerabilities in Emerging Cities: A development conundrum?

Paper presented at the International Conference on Environment of Small Cities, held at Lahore School of Economics.

March 2015

1. Intersections of Marriage and Masculinity

Paper presented at a conference, Postmodernism: Gender Discourses, held at Allama Iqbal Open University to celebrate International Women’s Day 2015.

May, 2013

1. Gender and Disasters

Panel Discussion on gender dimension of disasters in an international conference on “Gender and Disaster Management: Facing Disaster Making Decision” arranged by Gender Studies Department in collaboration with Department of Human Rights and Minority Affairs, Government of Punjab and Action Aid at Fatima Jinnah Women University.

September, 2012

1. Women and Sustainable Development: Some Reflections

Paper presented at the Special Summit, ‘South Asia’s Gender Gap – Implications for Sustainable Development,’ 5th South Asia Economic Summit, Islamabad.

 April 2012

1. Masculinity and Pakistani Male Marriage Migrants

Paper presented at a seminar titled, Locating Masculinities in Gender, organised by South Asian Network to address Masculinities (SANAM) and Men-Engage Pakistan at Quaid-i- Azam University, Islamabad.

October 2011

1. Why Masculinities? – An Overview

Paper presented at a symposium titled “Bridging the Gap,” Gender Equality and Justice – Exploring Masculinities, Centre of Excellence in Gender Studies, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad.

August 2009

1. Curriculum Planning for the Social Science.

Agha Khan University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Workshop held on the state of social science in Pakistan.

October 2009

1. Gendering the Diaspora: Social and Private Worlds of British-Pakistani Muslim Women in Slough.

Paper presented at ‘Seminar Series’, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Agha Khan University.

April 2008

1. Social Worlds of British-Pakistani Muslim Women in Slough.

Paper presented at a conference titled, ‘The Collective Context of Islamic Identities: Intersections between Community, Religion and Gender, held at Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH), Cambridge, UK,

October 2008

1. In the name of Multiculturalism! Religio-Cultural Practices, British Pakistanis and the British Sate.

Paper presented at a workshop on ‘State Management of Religion,’ held at Kings College, Cambridge and organised by the Religion and Secularism Network, Cambridge, UK

March 2007

1. Aapnay Lok: Pakistanis in Slough

Paper presented at the British Association for South Asian Studies Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting, St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge

July 2006

1. Voices of British Pakistani Muslim Women: Perceptions of Muslim Laws of Marriage and Divorce

Paper presented at the 19th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies (ECMSAS), Lieden, Netherlands

May 2006

1. Muslim Women in Britain: Dynamics of Marriage and Divorce

MCR Conference on Everything, Churchill College, Cambridge

Jan 2006

1. Muslim personal law and the British-Pakistani Muslim women

Gender Theory and Methodology Seminars, Centre for Gender Studies, University of Cambridge duly notified in the University Reporter, quite an achievement for a first year PhD scholar. https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2005-06/weekly/6023/15.html

Oct 2000

1. Social Services in Pakistan

Asia Student Forum, Sun-Moon University, Assan City, South Korea

Memberships / Positions Held

2022 to date: Member Board of Studies, Gender Studies Department, Peshawar University

2022: Member, Curriculum Review Committee HEC for Gender Studies

2022 to date: On the Panel of Institutional Performance Evaluation, QAA, HEC

2019-2022: Member Committee of Courses, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad

2016 to date: Member Board of Studies, Centre of Excellence in Gender Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad

2017 to date: Member advisory board of the Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Gender (JISG) by the Department of Gender and Women Studies, Allama Iqbal Open University.

 2005 – 2007: President Phoenix Society, Churchill College, University of Cambridge.

2005 – 2007: Married Students Representative and Welfare Officer, Churchill College MCR, University of Cambridge.

1990 -1992: Chairperson Women’s Council, Hailey College, Punjab University, Pakistan

1985 to 1987: Senior Vice President Burn Hall College, Abbottabad, Pakistan

1985 to 1987: Member, Mountaineering Club, Burn Hall College, Abbottabad, Pakistan

1986 to 1987: School Marshall, Burn Hall College, Abbottabad, Pakistan

Centre of Excellence in Gender Studies
Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad
© 2004 - 2025 Centre of Excellence in Gender Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
HEC QAU CEGS