Abstract

Earlier work on hijab has targeted either Muslim minority women or those who have been bound by the law with respect to their attire (Clark, 2007; Droogsma, 2007; Murshid, 2005). The present study addresses women in Pakistan, which is predominantly a Muslim society and the state neither bans nor recommends any particular dress. This research was geared to identify a theoretical framework under grounded theory approach. The analysis involved open, axial, and selective coding. Five focus groups were conducted with women practicing five types of dress (niqab-wearing, headscarfing, headcovering, dupatta-carrying, and the modern-dressed). One discussion was conducted with a group of male university students. The analysis involved open, axial, and selective coding, accompanied by constant comparisons between coding and data. The analysis has revealed three core categories, namely, religious commitment, environmental adjustment and psychological satisfaction. These three factors appeared as the causal conditions which lead to wearing hijab. However, the same factors also work as context, and functions under different situations for different wearers. Propositions and hypotheses relating to phenomenon of hijab have been extended for future research.