Between Identity and Performance: A Sociological Analysis of Gender Identity, Expression, and Roles among Students at Tertiary Level in Pakistan

Abstract

This study investigates the construction and performance of gender identity, expression, and roles among students at the tertiary level in Pakistan, situating gender as a socially constructed and contextually negotiated phenomenon. Employing a quantitative, cross-sectional research design, data were collected from 316 students enrolled in BS (4-Year) programs within the Faculty of Social Sciences at a public sector university, using a structured questionnaire with an attitudinal (dis)agreement scale. The study applies sociological frameworks, including Goffman’s dramaturgical theory, Butler’s theory of gender performativity, Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, and Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity, to analyze how students enact, regulate, and negotiate gendered behaviors within academic and social spaces. Findings indicate that students’ gender expressions are shaped by a combination of institutional norms, cultural expectations, and individual agency, reflecting both conformity to traditional roles and resistance to restrictive norms. The study highlights tertiary education as a critical site for understanding the relational and performative nature of gender in the Pakistani socio-cultural context and contributes to broader debates on gender, youth, and higher education.