Born: 1957
Farzana Bari is a Pakistani feminist, human rights activist, and academic who has made significant contributions to the field of gender studies. Born on March 7, 1957, she served as the director of the Gender Studies Department at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Bari has dedicated over twenty five years to advocating for women’s rights in Pakistan. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, focusing her doctoral thesis on the Effects of Employment on the Status of Women within Family. As a leading voice in the field of gender studies, Bari has played an instrumental role in establishing the first gender studies department in any university in Pakistan.
In addition to her academic work, Bari actively engages in policy advice and advocacy for women’s economic, political, and social empowerment in Pakistani society. She has conducted research on Women’s Substantive Representation in Pakistani Politics, aiming to promote gender equality within the political sphere.
As a human rights activist, Bari tirelessly promotes justice and gender equality in Pakistan. She has been a vocal critic of the male-dominated system of jirgas and advocates for looser Islamic rules regarding women’s rights. Bari has shed light on various issues, including the disenfranchisement of women in the electoral process and the exploitation of children as sex slaves in Hussain Khan Wala Village.
Bari has been actively involved in opposing honor killings and has worked towards the enactment of legislation against such heinous crimes. Despite the passage of a law outlawing honor killings by the National Assembly of Pakistan in October 2016, Bari continues to caution that the enforcement of this legislation may be compromised if judges do not recognize cases as honor killings.
Furthermore, Bari is a member of the Women Democratic Front (WDF), a socialist democratic women’s organization. Alongside fellow WDF members, she has organized the Aurat March in 2018, 2019, and 2020, advocating for women’s rights and gender equality.
In the realm of politics, Bari has served as a senior leader and vice president of the Awami Workers Party (AWP). Since the party’s formation in 2012, she has been an active member and was elected as the women secretary of the AWP in the party’s third central congress in Lahore.
Farzana Bari’s contributions to academia, activism, and politics have shaped the discourse on women’s rights and gender equality in Pakistan. Her dedication to improving the lives of women and advocating for their empowerment has had a profound impact on society, making her an influential figure in Pakistan’s women’s history.