This thesis explores the future aspirations of progressive middle-class men in Pakistan who desire more gender equality in their marriages than the current norm. The image of Muslim men as aggressive and oppressive towards women has become hegemonic both globally and within Pakistan. However, Pakistani middle-class men experience considerable tension between different gender values – between a hierarchical masculinity focused on domination of women, and ideas of gender equality. These values are closely tied to status and upward mobility, and play an important part in everyday negotiations of the emerging, middle-class gender identities of young people living amidst a tough economy created by years of economic liberalization in Pakistan. In this thesis, I consequently explore young Pakistani men’s aspirations for the future, asking what kinds of masculinities they fashion in the process. I ask how people reconcile emerging ideals of gender with established value systems in Pakistan – in particular religious ideals and the ideology of izzat (honour, respect, status). I examine these issues through a focus on the division of labour in the home – on aspirations, ideals, and practices relating to provision, housework, and the care of children. I show how middle-class men draw on Islam to create emergent, egalitarian Muslim masculinities suitable for the companionate marriages they seek. However, it is difficult for men to live out their ideals after marriage, because societal structures such as the joint family, the labour market, and notions of respectable gender roles make change difficult. The tensions that emerge in the nexus between Islamic gender norms, egalitarian gender norms, izzat, and class thus provide the background for my exploration of the ways in which young men navigate marriage, family, and career, as well as their visions of themselves in the future.