Discussion related to sex and reproduction is somehow considered taboo subject for women living in traditional cultures. Reproductive Health is a neglected issue among majority of rural women. This book draws its data from ethnographic study conducted in village Burhan, District Attock, Pakistan. The principal objective of the study was to explore socio-cultural context in which process of reproduction takes place. Key research questions which this study tries to answer include how women complete different stages of reproductive cycle (Pregnancy, Delivery and Confinement), their right to decide the number and spacing of children, their consent for marriage and equality in Marriage, nature of spousal communication on fertility related issues, access and information related to appropriate family planning services and their right to safe abortion and post abortion care. The findings of this study suggest strengthening of socio-economic status of women in order to give them a sense of belonging, responsibility and role in contributing towards the development of the society as a whole.

Present study was conducted in District Gujrat to investigate the impact of the microcredit scheme of Punjab Rural Support Program (PRSP) on women's empowerment. Researches throughout the developing world have highlighted the impact of microcredit programs on women's empowerment. This research was divided into three main sections. First section deals with the status of women at housed level before taking microcredit while second and third sections deal with the impact of microcredit in raising women's awareness and women's empowerment after taking microcredit. In the second section information was analyzed that whether microcredit increased the awareness among women regarding their status, legal rights and importance of say at household level. In the last section a situational analysis of the women after taking microcredit is presented. The data analysis has shown that there is a positive impact of microcredit program introduced by PRSP in the rural Gujrat on women's empowerment.

This book is based on the ethnographic study conducted in Imambargah Hussainyia in Rural Jhang, Pakistan. The main aim of this research was to investigate the ways of Muharram rituals performance among the Shi'a devotees in the locale. Researchers have used mix methods to investigate the intensity and magnitude of the rituals performance. The inhabitants perform following rituals during the month of Muharram; matam, majales, taziya, processions, alam, zuljinah, langar, and visitation of the holy shrines. According to Shi'a Muslims, these rituals were started soon after the incident of the Karbala in 61 year of Islamic Calendar. With the passage of time, these rituals matured and altered by the devotees of differences races and regions. In the present study area, people practice these rituals as a part of their daily activities and they love to practice the teachings of their Imams. For the community members, Muharram is a month of symbolic association of the Shi'as towards their Imams. Practices they perform are venerating them to the cohesion and letting them to develop a strong association at communal level.

Revisiting Migration Issues in Pakistan is a collection of articles, based on the primary research conducted by the different scholars across Pakistan. It mainly addresses the international migration related issues in Pakistan. Few of the articles are addressing the general patterns of international migration and its impact on the local communities in Pakistan while there are some articles on the issues of utilization patterns of international remittances. Subsequently, this book also focuses on the brain drain issues and how the internationalization of the job market has increased the chances for the skilled persons to move abroad for the search of reasonable professions. The article presented in this book shows that migration of the parents had inverse affect on the education performance of their children left behind. Last article of the book addresses the problems of the social integration of the Pakistani migrants living in Norway.

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is an important and is a good source of proteins, vitamins and minerals. In Pakistan local strains of mushroom are cultivated on various agricultural by-products as substrate. The widely used substrate for cultivation of the Oyster mushroom in Asia is rice straw. Keeping in view, its importance as a good source of energetic product having high protein value, the present studies were conducted to investigate the yield of exotic strains on cotton waste alone and were compared with amended rice husk under our natural environmental conditions. It was found that cotton waste + rice substrate gave the maximum yield of edible mushroom with the strain P. (sajor-caju) pulmonarious (WC-537) as compared to the substrate applied alone.

Fertility Behaviour of Rural Women in Pakistan illustrates an anthropological perspective of all social and cultural factors which affect the ideas, attitudes and beliefs of rural women that underpin their fertility behaviour and eventually the process of fertility decline. The principal objective of the research was to explore the relationship between social norms, individual beliefs and fertility. The main argument, which emerged from this study, is that the large family has immense social and cultural significance for variety of reasons related to status, prestige, income and security. This study also highlighted this fact that women subjugated position does not really allow them to effectively participate in the decision making process with regards to fertility regulation because of the social constraints and culturally or traditionally defined norms. Thus, the fertility of a woman is not actually controlled by her; rather the social environment in which she lives.