Tauheed Zahra, M.A.

Tauheed Zahra holds a bachelor’s degree in arts from the University of Punjab, where she majored in Psychology and Sociology. Her undergraduate studies deepened her understanding of gender, health, and social issues, shaping her growing interest in gender-related concerns. She went on to pursue a Master’s degree in Gender Studies at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, where she gained a critical perspective on gendered health disparities, social stigma, and identity formation.

She later completed her M.Phil. in Sociology at the University of Punjab, Lahore. During her M.Phil., she was awarded the prestigious Erasmus Mundus scholarship for a research exchange at Bielefeld University, Germany. Her M.Phil. research focused on anemia-related practices and perceptions among pregnant women in Pakistan, blending public health issues with a sociological lens.

Tauheed became part of the Research Group at the Institute of Social and Cultural Studies (ISCS), University of Punjab, where she worked on multiple public health projects in collaboration with UNICEF Pakistan, addressing child mortality, immunization, and social determinants of child sexual abuse in Kasur, Pakistan. She also contributed to a government-led initiative on child protection.

Her diverse research experience includes a two-year role as a Research Officer with an international organization, where she focused on data analysis and policy reports. Additionally, she has held research positions at McGill University, The Truth International, and the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), Pakistan.

Tauheed’s research interests lie at the intersection of gender, health, and sociology, with a particular focus on medical practices and health disparities in South Asia. Her expertise includes policy analysis, qualitative research, and health sociology.

Research Project

Pakistan, like many South African countries, has a deeply gendered healthcare system where women’s health concers are often overlooked or subject to social stigma. Mastectomy, a life-altering surgical intervention, reshapes not only the physical body but also social identity, aging transitions, and material engagements with the self and society.

Tauheed Zahra’s research explores how women who undergo mastectomy in Pakistan negotiate their age, identity, body image, and material realities across two distinct life phases—early adulthood and later life (fourth and fifth age groups)—through the lens of transition. The study examines how bodily changes, social roles, and cultural expectations interact to redefine femininity and aging experiences post-mastectomy.

Her research critically examines the transitions in body image and self-perception that mastectomy patients experience, how these transitions are shaped by medical discourse and societal expectations, and how women reconstruct their identities within these transitions. Drawing from phenomenology, feminist body theory, and aging studies, she investigates the lived realities of mastectomy patients and the absence of psychosocial support in Pakistan’s healthcare system. The study also engages with material-discursive practices to explore how bodily transformations mediate the social construction of identity across different life phases.

Research Publications

• Ahmad, F., Zahra, T., & Khalid, H. (2023). Personality Traits and Compulsive Use of Social Media Among Youth. Pakistan Journal of Society, Education and Language (PJSEL), 9(2), 470–485. Link
• Zahra, T. et al. (2021). Exploring COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Hesitancy Determinants. Pakistan Journal of Social Research, 3(1), 80-91. Link

Accepted Papers & Conferences

• Living with Scars: Phenomenological Insights into the Mastectomy Experience in Punjab, Pakistan – Presented at the 119th American Sociological Association (ASA) Annual Meeting.
• Migration and Maternal Health (Prenatal and Antenatal Care): Experiences of Pakistani Women in Germany – Presented at the International Conference on Contemporary Issues in Sociology and Public Health (2022).
• Perception of Radicalization and Terrorism among University Students in Islamabad and Rawalpindi – Collaborative research presented at a policy seminar.
• Child Sexual Abuse in Kasur, Pakistan – Research conducted in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan.

Conferences & Fellowships

• International Conference on Contemporary Issues in Sociology and Public Health (2022) – Presented research on maternal health and migration.
• 119th ASA Annual Meeting – Paper presentation on mastectomy, identity, transitions, and materialities in Punjab, Pakistan.
• National Conference on Gender, Health, and Policy Research – Participation in discussions on women’s health policies in South Asia.
• Women’s Health and Law Symposium (Pakistan) – Collaborative discussions on amendments in Pakistan’s women harassment bill (NCSW).

Academic Background

• M.Phil. in Sociology – University of Punjab, Lahore / Bielefeld University, Germany
• Master’s in Gender Studies – Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) – University of Punjab, Lahore