Abstract

Women have remained at the margins of society lacking access to state and non-state platforms for resolving their disputes in Pakistan. However, this pattern is changing and now women are accessing state courts to resolve their disputes, particularly in the context of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Non-state forums have lost their legitimacy and people are no longer relying on them for dispute resolution. In this study, the data was collected from Tehsil Jahanian, District Khanewal, Punjab. The respondents for this study were selected using a purposive sampling technique. The data was collected using a semi-structured interview method. The respondents comprised three female and two male lawyers, specializing in civil cases, and two members of the Panchayat. Thematic analysis of the collected data was done. It has been found that the change in preferences of the women towards state courts in Punjab is due to the increasing awareness among the women about their legal rights through education, social media, acquaintances with those women who have already filed cases in the court, and lawyers. Secondly, women can settle their disputes such as maintenance allowance, divorce and child custody in a more efficient, effective, and fair manner in state courts comparatively to the non-state forums because the procedure of enforcement of the law, participation of women in court proceedings, and protection of women are implemented by state courts.