Women’s Perceptions of Foucauldian Power in Everyday Social and Institutional Relations: An Empirical Study

Abstract

This study explores women’s perceptions of power dynamics in daily social relations, addressing a critical empirical gap about how non-Western women understand disciplinary and micro-level power in local environments. Grounded in Michel Foucault’s concept of power, the research aims to consider how women distinguish surveillance, institutional control, self-identity, and understated modes of resistance in their daily private and professional lives. Using a quantitative descriptive design, data were gathered from a purposively selected sample of 40 women respondents (which consisted of 20 working women and 20 non-working women) in Dera Ghazi Khan using a structured 20-item closed-ended questionnaire. The data were analyzed using frequency-based descriptive statistics in SPSS. The outcomes show high levels of agreement among respondents with statements reflecting relational power, the connection between power and knowledge, institutional surveillance, and policies of resistance. A majority of respondents recognized social environments and cultural norms as primary mechanisms of behavioral regulation rather than top-down political authority alone. By framing these observations through a feminist perspective, precisely drawing on feminist engagement with Foucauldian theory regarding gendered power relations. The study demonstrates how local women recognize and navigate daily power structures.