Gendered Narratives: A Comparative Study of Patriarchy and Matriarchy in the Dramas of Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar and Humaira Ahmad

Abstract

This study's main goal is to critically examine how patriarchy and matriarchy are portrayed in a few Pakistani television dramas by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar and Humaira Ahmad. It also investigates how these gendered representations affect audience perceptions and either support or contradict social norms.  In order to analyze language, character development, and theme components in the dramas, this qualitative study uses feminist literary theory and Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as its theoretical framework. Transcripts, episodes, and other relevant media content are gathered as a sample from published interviews and streaming services.  Six well-known dramas, three by each author, were chosen via the technique of purposive sampling to best represent the opposing gender views.  The findings show that Qamar's stories reinforce patriarchal power systems by emphasizing matriarchy honour, emotional pain, and traditional gender binary thinking.  Ahmad's works, on the other hand, focus on women's ethical complexity and spiritual development while quietly questioning patriarchal conventions through symbolic matriarchy. These depictions are supported by audience response, which reflects cultural differences in gender ideology.  The study suggests that screenwriters and media producers create more multifaceted, balanced gender depictions.  In order to encourage critical engagement with gender narratives and advance progressive cultural change in Pakistani culture, more interdisciplinary research and media literacy programs are recommended.

Keywords: Patriarchy, Matriarchy, Critical Discourse Analysis, Pakistani Television Dramas, Feminist Literary Theory, binary thinking, Gender Representation, Gender Ideologies, Pakistani culture