Unemployment and social stigma: Naming, blaming and shaming of educated youth in rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy
ISSN: 0144-333X
Article publication date: 20 March 2020
Issue publication date: 24 June 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to highlight the stigmatization attached to the unemployment of educated youth in rural regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
The study explicates the subjective experiences of the youth as being unemployed and societal attitudes toward them through an in-depth qualitative approach. A total of 30 unemployed male individuals were interviewed through an interview guide.
Findings
The study reveals that unemployed individuals are stigmatized and discriminately treated. They experience the difference in social support from their family and friends during unemployment, which is a discouraging aspect. This finding is in contrast to the existing literature on the subject in which family and friends are described as a major source of social support. As the study is conducted in the rural context, it is observed that local factors coupled with the joint family system have intensified negative attitudes toward the unemployed youth. Subsequently, the negative societal treatment serves as a factor for psychological challenges in their lives.
Originality/value
This article serves the need of exploring the experiences of unemployed individuals precisely in the Pakistani context.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors owe a debt of gratitude to respondents and participants of the study who helped in carrying out this research study. Their time and availability for interviews and sharing their very personal information and unemployment experiences made it possible to complete this study in a smooth and steady way. The authors also wish to acknowledge the cooperation of friends Maryam Hussain and Ayesha Naeem for reviewing this article and giving their fruitful comments and suggestions for improvement. Final word of thanks is reserved for parents and siblings for having been a constant source of encouragement, support and prayers.
Citation
Shah, R., Jafeer, Q.-U., Saeed, S., Aslam, S. and Ali, I. (2020), "Unemployment and social stigma: Naming, blaming and shaming of educated youth in rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 40 No. 7/8, pp. 543-558. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-10-2019-0206
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited