Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is the basic right of every human being which directly influence health and social outcomes. Without adopting a project to its cultural settings, the project has very little or no chance for success or to be sustainable. The objective of the present study was to examine the socio-cultural barriers towards safe water, sanitation and hygiene practices in southern Punjab, Pakistan. It was a mixed method of research comprising qualitative and quantitative design. The qualitative data was collected through FGDs, and quantitative data was collected through an interview schedule. It was found that Cultural constraints like satisfaction and reliability towards traditional and myth-based norms are hampering the water, sanitation and hygiene practices. It is necessary to start comprehensive programs of WASH sector development with a special focus on social mobilization for the transformation of social norms along with resource allocation to improve WASH conditions/practices.

The following paper tries to socially understand gender norms and the possibility of subversion of the recommended roles. Judith Butlers (1990) Performative theory of gender acts, discussed probability of gender subversion in various societal conceptualizations of gender. The undertaken study, through thematic analysis, investigated particular characters in a fairy tale, The land of stories: Beyond the kingdom (2015). It was found that gender was a social construct, and it existed due to repeated and accepted socially ascribed practices. The characters reconsidered gender through subversion by breaching the expected traditional societal gender norms. Though, for the intelligibility, these reconsidered gender roles needed recurrence. The findings also seemed to assert that the subversive acts could be shocking and unacceptable, but, they do not possess the potential to terminate the established gender norms, rather, just assist the characters to meet their ends, towards fresh identities and roles in the extensive societal dominion.

Gender inequality poses a challenge to the educational participation of teenage-girls in Jhelum Pakistan. This paper seeks to examine the complex factors underpinning and the extensive effects of gender inequalities in education within this area. The present study details various causes of gender inequalities as analyzed from a qualitative content analysis of various works, which include economic factors, social-cultural beliefs and practices; early marriage, lack of awareness, physical facilities, and gender biases. This study finds that all these factors work together to exclude girls from education and maintain poverty and non-advancement of socio-economic status. Finally, the discussion highlights the need to establish various strategies to address gender inequality, such as; community sensitization, increasing the percentage of girls education, finances, establishing safe school structures, and favorable laws on gender. The solution to these recommendations would help Jhelum move towards the right direction for giving teenage-girls equal education opportunities and better community.